The Boy and the Queen

by SCBM

A boy has a rather unusual run-in with a Xenomorph Queen that will change his life and the world of Solaris forever. (F!XenomorphQueen x M!Human)

20. Chapter 18

She saw it happen.

It flashed through her mind's eye, burning into her vision and staying there like a cattle brand. It began with a nauseating wave of dizziness, followed by the glint of a machete blade, the crash of a gunshot, ending with pain. Pain that felt so horrible, so real, despite the fact it wasn't her body she was experiencing this recollection through.

No! she wailed. Please, I can't watch this happen! Stop! This isn't…

She wasn't sure who or what she was pleading to, but she hadn't the concentration nor the time to dwell on it, her thoughts turning to the task at hand.

Before her, a tunnel led away into hollow darkness, the heavy clicks of her rushing footfalls impinging on the sounds of gunfire echoing through the other branching pathways. What had begun as constant automatic weapons fire was now droning out, the battle drawing to its conclusion. The Hive was becoming as silent as a graveyard, which was an appropriate comparison, given its recent history.

She was running, running harder than she'd ever had before, her armoured feet starting to numb as she pounded through the winding passage. The resin was squishy beneath her heels, designed to put the least amount of strain on whatever creature walked upon it. It covered all surfaces, dark and full of features that resembled twisting ribs, a tube of flesh just tall enough that she didn't scrape her crest on the ceiling, even at her fullest height.

The tunnel ahead might as well be identical to the tunnel behind her, for all the progress she felt she was making. Perhaps, a morbid thought suggested, she had made a wrong turn and put herself in one of the forgotten passages, the ones that loop round and round with no end, carved out by the feral drones who had little to do but dig and wait. Wait for their regent to give them orders, wait for death. Both outcomes weren't so different in hindsight.

She ran for what felt like the timespan of many hours, until the tunnel bloomed out into a chamber, her sprint slowing into a jog. The chamber was roughly circular in shape, with a sloping domed roof stretching high into the air, neglected ribbons of resin draping from the curved walls. There were two other exits from the chamber, not including the one she was currently standing in, her heeled feet skidding on the resin as a sorry sight greeted her.

Two humans were lying in the middle of the space, blood surrounding them in foreboding red pools. One was far older, with a paunchy stomach spilling over the beltline of his long dress pants, while the other was far younger, his faded shirt so ripped up it barely passed as clothing in its current condition. Parts of his smooth chest were exposed to the cool air, a collection of scars and bruises making her stomach drop.

She rushed over, pushing the older human out of the way without a second thought, even when said human made a horrible gurgling sound, as though he was choking on his own blood. She hooked an arm behind Maddox's shoulders, nearly recoiling in surprise as she propped him up. It was like touching a block of ice, his flesh deathly cold beneath her fingertips.

She supported his head in one of her upper hands, her palm large enough to encompass most of his skull. Concentrating, she focused on the link that connected her mind to his, prodding him first gently, then growing rougher when his consciousness failed to respond. She had to be careful. Human minds weren't as reinforced as hers was, if she forced her will on him too hard she might hurt him, and damn herself in the process.

After a few tense moments, he opened his eyes, blinking them as though waking from a dream. When his pupils focused on her, the human gave her a smile so warm all her fears simply melted away at the sight.

He opened his mouth, but rather than speak, pink blood spilled through his teeth, dribbling down his chin in droves. Trying to calm her frantic nerves, she slid her lower pair of arms to his chest, pulling back the tatters of his shirt, her voice hitching in her throat as she saw a hole pierced between his pectorals, the ruined flesh dribbling with his life fluids.

Her eyes flicked to a small object resting on the ground nearby, a silver pistol, the smell of gunpowder wafting out of the warm barrel. The gunshot she heard, she was too late to stop it. Always too late.

"Didn't see… the gun," he whispered. "I'm so stupid, Amaya. So stupid."

No, she replied, projecting her voice into his thoughts. She cradled him in all four of her arms, holding his face to her chest. His blood smeared over her dark flesh, but she didn't care. Never in life.

Keeping him close, she raised one of her lower hands to her mouth, her breath curdling in her throat as though she was about to start coughing hairballs. Instead, a globe of creamy jelly slid onto her palm, Amaya pressing the slimy substance onto his wound without hesitation. She did not know if her royal jelly could heal such a grievous wound, but what other choice was there?

She urged him to take slow breaths, the jelly plugging the wound like a cork in a bottle, the bleeding stemming. The white substance turned red as it began to work into his flesh, Amaya sending him warm thoughts as his flesh began to knit back together. Movement behind her set her on edge, Amaya turning round, shielding the human's body with her own as she raised her tail in anticipation, pointing its fierce edge towards the passage, wondering if it would be humans with guns, or the ones without.

It turned out to be neither, her daughter rushing out of the shadowy tunnel, an aura of worry and adrenaline radiating from her mind. She exposed her maw in a snarl, fresh blood dripping from her pearly fangs, her lips stained with giant red splotches.

"Rita?" Maddox asked, following Amaya's gaze. Rita pulled her teeth over her long fangs, concealing her maw as shecrossed the chamber, visibly wincing when she spied the state the human was in. "Hey, it… it doesn't really hurt, you know?" he added, sagging back in Amaya's arms. "Getting shot. I think you were… overreacting. Just like your mother."

The corner of Rita's lips twitched, and the human laughed. It sounded more like the croak of an old dog, but Amaya could feel his humour behind the sound, and she briefly wondered how he could be so nonchalant at a time like this.

"Amaya," he began, hissing when she pressed the jelly in deep, as his talking had displaced the glob. "Luna. She… Luna's…"

I know, Amaya replied, the link she shared with the human filling with sorrow. She had shared her fallen daughter's last moments as though they were her own, images of great heights and burning flames floating past until it all ended in utter darkness.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, Amaya glancing over as Rita extended her will to theirs. With the three of them, the pain of Luna's loss was easier to burden, and they stayed that way for a while, heads tilted as they grieved. Their circumstances afforded little time to idle, especially now that her mate was wounded, and Rita was the first to break away, hunkering down on Amaya's right as she looked over Maddox's wounds.

We need to get the bullet out of him, she said.

No, Amaya replied, clutching him tighter. His flesh is too weak for that. The jelly will save him. It has before, and it will again.

Yet a small voice was quick to remind her that the royal jelly had healed only superficial wounds until this point, a gunshot was a far more serious danger.

"W-We have to…" Maddox tried to rise, but his leg gave out beneath him, Amaya and Rita catching him before he could fall. "Ship," he croaked. "Amaya, the ship. Maybe there's something on board. Maybe… fly to somewhere. Get h-help. Blankley's people… get there before they do."

He's right, Rita added. I can feel them investigating. We need to be quick. Stand him up, we can't stay in this place.

As much as Amaya wanted to weep for her lost child, to let her human rest and recover his strength, their chances of escape slipped further away the more they wasted time. Most of the humans had been killed in the initial attack, but who knew how many had managed to infiltrate deeper into the Hive?

He tried to stand again, Amaya's tail snaking around his waist for support, the human propping himself up with a grunt. She asked him if he could walk, and he nodded, latching onto her forearm with his hand. He was trembling like a leaf, but he didn't fall.

Rita took off into one of the other passages leading away, head raised as she scented for threats. Amaya made to follow, but paused when he tapped her on the arm. "Wait," he wheezed. "Blankley. That's him, girl…"

She let him turn them around, the two looking down at the body of the other human. It was only now that she realised he was not just alive, but very much alert, a hint of recognition passing through the man's eyes as he glanced in her direction.

"M-Mercy," the man whimpered. The wooden hilt of a machete was poking out of his ribs, but somehow, the sight paled in comparison to her human's wounds. She'd have gladly traded their states if given the power. "I-I spared you both. You owe me that much…"

We, owe you? Amaya snarled, the man, Blankley, flinching when she bared her teeth. Trust me, Mayor, mercy is the furthest thing from my mind right now…

Ushering her human aside, she raised her foot, and with a wet crunch, stamped it on Blankley's skull. All the things this man had done to her, done to her host, all the unbearable amount of torrent, and he was gone with but a twitch of her leg.

One less monster in the world, she breathed, relishing in the satisfaction, but careful to keep that part of her mind hidden from her partner.

"Let's get out of here," Maddox whispered, turning away from the grisly sight. Amaya led him out of the chamber, shooting the former mayor a dirty look as they did. Rita was waiting in the passage beyond, watching the short exchange quietly from the shadows, perking up when Amaya projected to her.

Rita? Don't let that ship take off without us. Kill anyone that stands in your way. We'll be right behind you.

Yes, mother. With pleasure.

Her daughter stooped to all fours, sprinting into the darkness. If any humans were between them and the ship, Rita would deal with them.

The pair started off into the passage, and it was only a few meters inside when her human almost fell, a violent coughing fit bringing them to a halt. Flecks of blood hit the resin at their feet, Amaya forcing him to stand up straight.

Maddox? she began, the human regarding her with bleary eyes. His skin was as pale as bones. Focus on my voice, alright? Just hold on. Please, just hold on. We're almost there.

"A-Alright, girl," he murmured, when he managed to regain his breath. "I'm here, I'm good."

His head began to loll to the left, his eyes closing even as she started shouting his name into his head. Thinking quickly, Amaya brought up her hand, snapping her fingers together, the resulting click sharp enough to make his ears ring, his eyes flying open right after.

You're not blacking out on me, she said, her tone commanding. You're not, don't even think about it. I carried you through that forest when we were children, I'll carry you through this.

"Ralto Avenue," he croaked, and for a moment he looked as spry as he did all those years ago, his reminiscing filtering into their link and making her equally nostalgic. "You ever go back there?" he asked, falling into step as they continued down the tunnel.

I don't know, probably not. Too many bad memories near that place.

"Few good ones too," he pointed out. "But you're right. Last place I saw my parents was in that apartment…"

Do you wish to find them? she asked, helping him over a bump in the resin. Once we escape this place?

"My wish is to make sure I forget everything about this planet," he replied. "Including those two. Fuck them. I'm getting a new family now."

She recoiled, his words surprising her.

But I thought… never mind. She leaned down to his eye level, giving him a sceptical look. What do you mean by getting a new family?

"Well, you started one Hive, right?" he asked. "Surely you don't plan on stopping that once we're out of here?"

I… had considered it, she admitted, her pace faltering. I failed this Hive, lost more of my daughters than I can count. To go through that again… and put more of my offspring in danger…

"It'll be different," he assured, laying a hand on her own. "I don't know much about being a dad, but maybe a human touch will do some good this time around. You have to try again, without you, there wouldn't be any Xenomorphs around. Who knows how many other queens are out there?"

So eager, she mused, a small smile on her lips. I know you told me you wanted to father a brood with me… but do you really think I… we, can do it?

"Honestly, I don't know. But we've always worked better together, haven't we? Who's to say things won't change?"

Purring in delight, she pulled Maddox against her, her lower hands opening like a vice to trap him against her bosom.

You always knew how to cheer me up, she cooed. I don't know why I'm worrying. With you around, the next brood will be different.

"Watch the chest," he warned, Amaya relenting before she inadvertently hurt him. Flooding his thoughts with warmth and love was an acceptable substitute, a shiver rolling up her back when he reciprocated the emotions, the pair closing their eyes as they clung to one another.

They proceeded through the tunnel networks, and after a few more turns, they arrived in another chamber, this one far larger than the last. The ceiling was domed, the space far longer than it was wide, the walls slowly losing their concavity as they lowered to the ground. Every surface was reinforced with a clear layer of resin, save for the giant object sitting at the far end of the chamber. At a glance one might have mistaken it for a ballistic missile, one of the many weapons that had been used to make the world like it is today, but the glass canopy sitting up on the nose of the craft, and the stubby wings jutting from near the engine cones, betrayed its true properties.

Between her and the rocket was a sea of corpses, some humans, most her own kind. The drones and warriors looked like they'd only recently expired, the Hive resin temperate enough to preserve their lifeless bodies for all this time. The sight sent an icy cold stab through her chest, but that pain couldn't compare to the reality that another of her daughters had joined their number during the recent battle.

Rita was idling just a little ahead and to the left, crouched over the body of her fallen sister. Amaya started towards them, not wanting to look but forcing herself to anyway, Maddox limping after her. His train of thought mirrored her own, her human telling her she didn't have to see this. His concern for her was endearing, but she ignored it.

As she circled Rita's flank, her tail dragging along the floor, Amaya looked upon Luna, a sob escaping her lips. She was sprawled out on her stomach, the bones in her shins poking out through the flesh of her knees, green blood bubbling around her in a circle. Shards of glass lay all around her, Amaya glancing up to see the control room booth sitting flush against the corner of the ceiling, some thirty meters above their heads. The observation pane on this side was broken.

Rita sunk to her knees, filling the launch deck with her cries as she held Luna in her arms. They all knew what had become of Luna thanks to the link they shared, but seeing the corpse physically was a stark reminder of their loss.

She let her surviving daughter vent her grief, then stepped forward, not wanting to remind Rita that time was of the essence, but preparing to anyway. But as she made to speak, movement drew her gaze, Amaya spying Luna's curved head twitching from side to side. She was moving. At first she thought her mind was playing some nasty trick, but as Luna's end of the link started to produce activity, like an abandoned powerline suddenly surging with electricity, she knew this was no trick.

"L-Luna? You're… alive?" Maddox asked, speaking for all three of them. "But… we all saw you fall. How is this possible?"

Luna's crescent-shaped head rose from the bloodied floor, her chops clicking together as she flexed her jaw. When pain reaches maximum threshold, bodily functions operate at ineffective levels. Falling equalled great pain levels. Ergo, my body was rendered momentarily ineffective.

Her ethereal voice was so nonchalant, she may as well have been discussing the weather with him.

Oh, Luna! Rita exclaimed, bundling the smaller drone up in her arms. I felt your life pass! I thought you were gone!"

When pain reaches maximum threshold, Luna began to explain again, but Rita motioned for her to be silent, clutching her younger sibling desperately. If anything, Luna seemed confused by the sudden affection, but eventually the drone reciprocated, the two sisters nuzzling their snouts together. Amaya watched on, a sad smile on her face, a sudden throbbing in her temple making her wince. She pushed the heel of her palm into her head, thoughts and sensations that weren't her own making her head pound. The moment of pain was a short one, but in her mind it felt like it went on forever.

"You okay, girl?" Maddox asked, placing a hand on her thigh, as it was the only part of her he could reach comfortably.

Mm? Yes, yes I'm fine, just a headache.

He returned her smile, and said no more on the subject.

Let's get you out of here, sister, Rita began, slipping an arm around Luna's back. The drone made no attempt to stand, holding up a finger and pointing it at her thighs.

My patellae are in incorrect displacements, Luna explained, her explanative voice contrasting with her outward appearance. Recommended course of action is to proceed. My presence will slow down progression by roughly sixty-two point-

I don't give a damn about your percentages, I'm not leaving you! Rita roared, turning to give Amaya a look. Mother, give her some of your royal jelly! Please!

Her heart flittered. It was the first time her praetorian daughter had called her mother, but she held back commenting about it. Jelly can't set her bones, Amaya replied, that will need to be done by hand, and we don't have the time for that.

Then I'll just carry her until we do, Rita replied, giving her a stoic look. She turned, scooping Luna off the resin, her arms blunging with the effort. The task would be difficult even for Amaya, but Rita managed to hook her other hand beneath Luna's broken legs, carrying her bridle-style. The feats one can achieve when the life of a loved one was on the line…

With Amaya and Rita helping their wounded counterparts, they set off for the launch pad, weaving between clusters of the dead, the sound of hissing gas growing louder as they neared the far end of the silo.

She ushered Maddox onto the catwalk bridging the gap between the resin deck and the rocket, the steel mesh creaking as she planted her high-heeled feet upon the wire mesh. Clouds of steam billowed from the starship's engines, clogging a portion of the chamber with a thick mist. The ship they had come so far for, worked so hard to get working, had fended against the Mayor's forces, was finally ready to receive them.

She set Maddox down on the catwalk, reaching out for the touch panel that would activate the airlock. As her long fingers hovered above the inputs, distant shouting made her hesitate, Amaya looking over her shoulder back the way they'd come.

Spilling out of the tunnel mouth was a group of humans dressed in ragged clothing, flamethrowers and rifles clutched in their hands. Rita placed Luna beside Maddox, the two Xenomorphs shielding him with their bodies, ready to take a bullet for him if, or perhaps when, the situation called for it.

Everyone inside! Amaya ordered, the humans starting to rush towards the launch pad. She made to hit the unlock button flashing at her from the panel, but a hand on her leg stopped her.

"Wait," Maddox said, sniffing back the bile and blood congealing in his throat. "The clamps."

He pointed over her shoulder, Amaya turning to follow where he indicated. Metal rods connected the rocket to the walls of the silo, sturdy mechanisms that would ensure the ship didn't topple over during the docking phase. There were six of them in total, three to each side, gripping the ship at various points along its length. The ship would never fly in its current state.

Can we release them from inside the ship? she asked.

"Not unless you want to go all the way back to the control room," Maddox explained. "It has to- *cough* -be done manually."

I'll deal with them, Amaya said, setting her lower arms on his shoulders. After we get you inside.

Maddox swatted her away. "There's no time! Don't-" He sputtered, a trickle of red pouring down his chin. "Don't worry about me. Just release the clamps, hurry."

I always worry, she replied.

Mother! Rita yelled, her tail whipping back and forth behind her. The humans!

It pained her to admit it, but Maddox was right, every moment wasted could potentially spell disaster for all of them. She rose to her full height, raising a commanding hand at her praetorian.

Keep them back, my daughter, she barked to Rita. Don't let them anywhere near the ship, for all our sakes!

The praetorian nodded, peeling her lips over her teeth in a snarl. She turned, charging into the incoming aliens, her screeching echoing off the rounded walls. Muzzles flashed as her charge was met with gunfire, Rita lowering her armoured head as she closed into melee range.

"Just go," Maddox urged, bringing her attention back to him. She shook her head no, taking one of his hands into her own, turning the palm up and bringing it to her lips. Her shoulders tensed, her body shaking as she felt a lump travel up her throat.

A glob landed wetly against his hand, her saliva trailing down his fingers as the substance wobbled. Even as chaos erupted all around them, her grip on his arm never faltered, Amaya ushering his hand towards his wound. When the royal jelly made contact with his bleeding chest, blistering pain shocked through hers and Maddox's link, as though a switchboard had been suddenly flicked, Amaya devoting all her willpower to softening his agony.

Amaya pushed the jelly deep, a distinct resistance meeting her fingers. It might have been bone, or maybe an organ, Maddox crying out either way. She felt his consciousness teeter on the edge of passing out, but he did not fall, his eyes lidded, but alert as he looked Amaya square in the face.

She wordlessly ordered him to hold the jelly in place, and when he acknowledged her with a telepathic reply, she slowly let her arm fall away. His hand, slimy with her essence, did not go with it.

Get inside the ship, she ordered him, then to Luna: Make sure he keeps pressure on the wound.

As you command, my Queen, Luna replied.

With that, Amaya stood, raising one foot onto the railing as she looked up the length of the ship. The hull was pockmarked with little bars and tubes that would make excellent handholds, Amaya reaching out and beginning her climb.

"Good luck, girl," she heard Maddox say. "And hurry. Please."

She flashed him a smile, would have added a wink if she had the eyes to do so, then reached up to the next handhold. Five meters, ten, she scaled the length of the ship with all the grace of a feline, moving up and to the right as he went, her four hands gripping the metal for purchase.

Somewhere below her, Rita's battle cries echoed from afar, her voice drowning out the screams of the aliens. Amaya didn't have to turn around to see the slaughter she was creating, it all flashed into her mind through the Hive Mind – sprays of red mist, muzzle flashes, the faces of desperate humans as her daughter severed their limbs with her arms or whipping tail. Amaya felt no pity. These aliens had treated her Maddox like filth, they deserved no quarter.

Panting, Amaya closed in on the closest clamp, the bright yellow metal shaped like two pincers, viced flush against the rounded hull. The claw was connected to the far wall of the silo by a long arm, the resin coating travelling down the mechanism for roughly half its length, thick pistons and electronics just visible in places. The metal was inches thick, but so was the blade of her tail, Amaya using it like a saw to cut away at the obstruction.

After a few seconds, the clamp was severed, the arm falling away in two parts, the longer part of the metal arm swinging away, banging loudly against the far wall before it settled. Glancing up, she saw the other two remaining clamps on this side directly above her, Amaya wasting no time, her massive body a blur as she continued her ascent.

She cut the next clamp apart, already working away at the third by the time the screen one had hit the deck. It took less than sixty seconds, but every moment she spent away from Maddox's side filled her with dread. Did he have enough jelly to stem the bleeding? Was he keeping the pressure on, like she'd ordered Luna to assure? Would Luna be too drowned in her own pain to help if something went wrong?

She needed to hurry, Amaya's ascent levelling out as she mounted the nose of the ship. In her haste, she bumped her crest against the silo doors, the oval-shaped portal sitting a few scant meters above the starship's pointed nose. She could feel the wind seeping through the long gap in the oversized hatch, Amaya wondering if the acidic rain was still pouring out there, and if it would be a hazard to the ship.

No time for that, a voice told her, one of the many disembodied speakers that had called her mind home as madness consumed her. Hurry.

Clamps four and five were next, Amaya's tail starting to go numb as she tired, but she pushed through the pain, scrambling across the ship upside-down, blood pooling in her head. As she moved for to the final clamp, her tail raised like a scorpion's stinger, she expected some last obstruction, a stray bullet, or an opportunistic human seeking to stop her efforts. But there was nothing, nothing but her own damn paranoia, and with a last heave of effort, she smashed the final clamp, the ruined metal creaking loudly as it listed away.

She felt a sense of victory swell in her breast. The starship was ready, all that was left to do was get everyone on board.

Come back to me, daughter, she projected into Rita's link. We're leaving this wretched place.

Her daughter sent her an affirmative, Amaya looking out across the deck as she descended the ship. Rita had reduced the human's numbers to a handful, the survivors pulling back into the tunnels. Amaya sensed many more of the helpless sheep in other parts of the Hive, lost in the endless, empty byways. Not many, but enough to give the praetorian trouble if they regrouped.

As the catwalk curved into view, Amaya's heart froze. Patches of blood marked bits of the metal grating, the red standing out against the silver. There was a lot of it. Too much.

She landed with a metallic thunk, kneeling on the spot she'd left Maddox, her long head darting about frantically. She knew she shouldn't have left him, nothing good had ever come from separating with her host, how could she be so stupid?

Please display immediacy, my queen, a voice said in her head, one belonging to Luna. She turned, looking through the ship's airlock into a small space, most of it occupied by her daughter, sitting on crossed legs. As a drone, Luna was the smallest out of all the castes, but the interior of the ship looked like a tight fit, even for her.

Where's Maddox? Amaya demanded, having to crouch to step inside the airlock. Her shoulders caught on the metal frame, Amaya twisting sideways so she could fit through. Where's my host? Answer me, Luna.

The drone shimmied aside, gesturing to her flank, Amaya brushing past her curtly. Just beyond the airlock was a circular room with only a few features, a blast door on one side, and a ladder trailing up to a hatch on the other, all of it illuminated by strips of blue fluorescents clinging to a very short ceiling. Leaning against said ladder was Maddox, his eyes closed tight, and for a terrible moment she couldn't even feel his heartbeat with her sensitive hearing.

"I'm right here, girl," he said, lifting a shaky arm at her, the other still pressed tightly against his wound. "What's wrong? Is Rita okay?"

Amaya zipped across the room, pulling Maddox against her, wrapping her lower arms around his waist as she trapped him in her embrace. She could sense his confusion, both in mind and in the way he tilted his head up at her, but he soon returned the gesture, placing his free hand over the base of her tail.

"Amaya, what's happened?" he asked, blinking up at her as she pulled away.

Nothing, I just… I thought you'd…

She grimaced, her skull suddenly feeling like it had been struck by a stone, the world swaying as she listed. Maddox reached out to steady her, as did Luna, the stronger drone able to keep her from toppling over.

"Are you hurt?" he pressed, the human fussing over her as he plucked at her arms, her breast, giving her exoskeleton a once over with his free hand. "I felt you chopping those clamps up just now, maybe you hit them too hard? Hurt yourself?"

No, nothing like that, she replied. I'd just… had this terrible feeling that something had happened.

"You must have hit your head or something," he said, smirking at her. "I'm not going anywhere, girl."

But… Yes, she relented. Yes, that's what happened. I did hit my head against the silo doors on my way over the ship, didn't realise how close I was.

"In more ways than one," Maddox replied. "This ship's just about ready to get us out of here. If you feel up for it, you come help me start this thing up. Is Rita coming?"

I'm here, Rita chimed, the praetorian dashing into the airlock. She hit the touch panel with a clenched fist, the twin doors sealing shut behind her. With three Xenomorphs and a human, there was barely any room for them to move, Amaya shouldering her way to her daughter.

You are injured, daughter? she asked, noting the way Rita was clutching at her bicep. The praetorian turned away, shaking her head, the expression no doubt picked up from Maddox.

Just a few burns, nothing to worry over, Rita insisted. Amaya didn't want to be overbearing, backing away with her hands raised. I slew who I could, Rita continued, turning to Maddox. but the humans will counterattack once they realise what we're up to. If we're to flee, now is the time.

Maddox nodded, beginning to climb up the ladder with his free hand, Amaya trailing after to make sure he didn't hurt himself. Fitting through the hatch in the ceiling was an effort, first her shoulders, then her hips catching on the frame as she freed herself from the lowest level of the starship. The vessel was made up of three parts. The lower deck the three off them had entered from, the middle deck, which seemed to house what few amenities could be afforded to the passengers, like a kitchen and crew quarters, then finally the cockpit, located high up on the nose of the ship. All three levels were connected together by the ladder, which ran up the entire length of the ship not unlike a spine.

Maddox hurried past the middle deck towards the cockpit, Amaya sparing the area only a cursory glance – they would have plenty of time to explore the ship later, when they were free, and freedom felt so very close now.

As she emerged from the very top of the ladder, Amaya felt a temporary wave of dizziness, her perception warping as it struggled to comprehend the cockpit. What looked like a million buttons, switches and dials lined every surface, changing colours and beeping with seemingly no pattern. A pair of padded seats centred the cramped space, facing in an upwards direction, so that if one were to sit in them, their backs would face the ground, almost like they would be lying down. It was a bizarre scene, but as with most human contraptions, it very likely had a hidden purpose.

"Hope the autopilot works," Maddox muttered, awkwardly bracing himself against a switchboard as he clambered into one of the seats. "I know we checked before the guys from the bunker turned up but- Ah!"

Amaya very nearly shrieked herself, Maddox's startlement coursing into her mind like a river. She moved with determined speed, ready to scoop her human out of harm's way, looking to what had given him a fright.

Sitting in the chair was a human male, one she had never met before, but still knew all the same. Most of his face was covered in bandages, only the corner of his lips, the nose, and one eye were visible. The rest of it was plastered with bandages, the gauze dirty with dried blood.

"Oh shit! Oh God oh please!" the mummified man pleaded, holding his hands in front of his face, or rather lack thereof. "Please no!"

"J-Jake?" Maddox asked, his shoulder brushing hers as he inched passed her, Amaya holding out a protective hand to stop him.

The man, Jake, stared back with a wild eye, as though only now registering Maddox's presence. "M-Maddox? H-Hey, man, w-why's this… thing, just standing there?"

The second he dared to point a finger at her face, she growled, the sound so deep and low it made both of the human's bones shake. Jake flinched away,, burying himself in his seat, the grown man screaming like a little girl.

Leering at him, she pushed her thoughts into Jake's, forcing her way through the barriers of his mind. She had never talked to another human aside from Maddox, or had she? Before the Fall, had she not made contact with several other humans during her maddened reign as queen? She couldn't remember, nor did it really matter in the grand scheme of things. Maddox was the only one worthy of her voice, and she'd make sure Jake would be the only exception from now on.

The man's mind was a twisted, perverted landscape of debauchery and filth, with barely any regret laced between. She clambered through his memories, ignoring his mental cries of panic – Who are you? What are you doing to me? – images flashing past as she dug deep. She saw a place deep below the earth, a metal coffin in which a scrap of humanity clung to life, if the word life even held any meaning to the decay which infested its inhabitants. She saw her host through Jake's eyes, saw his sunken eyes and the bags beneath them, saw Maddox labour away while the owner of the eyes teased and goaded, only humouring her host's presence because he had little choice otherwise.

She saw Maddox age, the colour in his cheeks fading. His face, once fresh and vigorous, withered as years of torture took its toll, until he finally resembled the man she had found on the eastern shore of the city, a few weeks prior. Amaya could not stand to see all of the events that had transpired since Maddox had been separated from her, so she pulled back, her true sense of vision slowly returning.

She wasn't growling now, but rather, it had escalated into a vicious snarl, her carnivore teeth exposed as she voiced her fury. You hurt my friend, she seethed, projecting her thoughts like she was throwing darts into a board. You made his life so difficult, you malicious, pathetic excuse of a man. Why?!

"W-What?" Jake asked, flinching with every word she sent. Perhaps the dart analogy was closer to the truth than she thought. "I-I don't know… How are you talking to me?"

You tortured him with your words, preyed upon his weaknesses, and now here you are, at the end of all this, cowering, while the rest of your kith and kin fight for their lives. Your whole sect can rot in this place for all I care, but at least they showed a backbone in fighting us for this ship.

She leaned forward, opening her fangs, her inner mouth poking through. Her smaller jaws were about the size of a human fist, Amaya clicking her teeth together. Not long ago, your pitiful life almost came to an end by Maddox's hand, she continued. You thanked all your Gods that your Mayor managed to save you, but know this, Jake, by the time I'm done with you, you'll wish your life had ended that day.

She snapped her smaller, but no less wicked fangs at him, causing Jake to shriek again, Amaya noting a wet patch appeared on the front of his pants. She went to take a chunk out of his face for real this time, but paused mid-bite, Maddox getting her attention with a thought.

"Wait, hold on, girl," Maddox said, seizing one of her lower wrists.

Why? she demanded, turning around. She could have hacked Jake to pieces in an instant, but his words held much sway over her, compelling her to listen. He hurt you, hurt you so much. I saw what he did to you. He must die. It's the least he deserves!

"I know," Maddox replied. Even though she had no eyes, he stared right into her vision regardless. "And I have an idea how we can do that."

"A-Are you talking to it?" Jake asked in a wavering voice. "H-How are-? Look, I-I'm sorry, all right? I'm sorry for everything! Don't let it eat me!"

"I won't," Maddox replied. Something in his cold voice must have alarmed the cowardly human, as Jake was now looking at him as though Maddox was a Xenomorph himself.

Jake began to blubber, but when Amaya made no move to devour him, the noises his mouth made began to form back into words. "Y-You won't? You… thank you, Maddox. I-I wasn't going to start this ship, you know, I was waiting for-"

"Shut up," Maddox snapped. "I told you once that if you got in my way, you'd regret it. Now here you are again, making that same mistake again. Don't worry, though, I'm gonna make sure we never cross paths again, Jake."

"P-Please, I-I don't wanna d-"

"Amaya," Maddox said, cutting him off. "Throw this sack of shit out the airlock."

With pleasure, Amaya replied, snatching the man out of the seat. The patch in Jake's crotch grew, his scream filling the ship as she turned, thrusting him down the ladder. He tried to seize one of the rungs, slipped, and went tumbling hard onto the middle deck, whimpering as he clutched at his temple.

Get up, Amaya projected, landing beside him with all the grace of an athlete. She shoved her foot into his stomach, pushing him towards the ladder. Get up, you bastard.

He did, tears streaming down his cheeks as he grabbed the metal bars. This time she let him climb down to the lower level, swiftly chasing after him to make sure he didn't delay. She watched with amusement as Luna and Rita turned to glance at the newcomer, their curious expressions and tilting heads contrasting with the look of pure terror on Jake's face.

Amaya relayed to them what Jake had done, and their curiosity became predatory visages, Rita looking especially disgusted by the alien. Together, the three of them herded the man towards the airlock, Jake's hands raised as though he had the power to ward them off. Perhaps he'd come to the conclusion that they wouldn't kill him, and was using that to his advantage.

"Wait!" he pleaded, pausing inside the airlock threshold. "L-Let me come with you! I want to leave this place! I'll do anything!"

You'll do nothing but rot, Amaya replied. She planted her foot in his stomach, the man tumbling out onto the catwalk with a cry of alarm. Pressing her thumb into the touch panel, the pressure doors slid shut behind her tail, a mechanical click sealing away the outside world.

Make sure he doesn't try anything, Amaya ordered. If he does, kill him.

Her daughters nodded, taking up positions on either side of the airlock, but the effort wasn't necessary. She knew Jake wouldn't bother them any longer, she could sense he didn't have the willpower, not after being shut down by the man he'd taken advantage of on multiple occasions. Bullies were fickle creatures.

Maddox? she asked, sending her thoughts through the link. It's done, I'm coming back up.

Almost got this thing started, he replied back, his voice taking on a soothing, pleasant quality in her head. It was as though it was being run through a synthesiser, the tone hinting just a little at the way he had sounded back in their youth.

A few moments of climbing the ladder, and she was back in the cockpit, the warped perspective not quite as vexing as before. Maddox was in the chair Jake had just vacated, pushing buttons and flicking switches. She could feel faint turbulence shaking the metal around her, a surge of excitement swelling in her breast.

It's working! she exclaimed, hopping deftly around the back of his chair, slipping into the vacant seat. She was way too big to use it like Maddox was, squeezing her rump into the cushions as far as she could, then simply laying on it with her knees tucked up against her right side. It's really working!

"Sure it is, we four repaired it, didn't we?" Maddox asked, reading off a little flickering screen built into the armrest. "Now let's see, according to the autopilot, I think this is the one that we need to… ah ha!"

He pressed a button up and to the left of his head, a sudden whirring sound making her flinch. A long, thin stretch of glass occupied the forefront of the cockpit, Amaya glancing out of it to see the silo doors peeling away into two shrinking halves, exposing a sliver of the heavens between them. The thunderheads of the storm had weakened during the battle, a few hundred stars sparkling through the weakening overcast. The rain was still falling, the liquid draping off the glass in thick puddles, making harsh plink sounds.

"Seatbelt, 'Maya," Maddox chimed, startling her into the present. She reached down to grab the strap, but the width of her hips was too bulky for it to reach the clamp, Maddox watching with amusement as she began to hogtie herself into the seat.

Once she was strapped in as best she could manage, she sent him an affirmative thought. "Okay, you want to do the honours, girl?" he asked, gesturing towards the forward console. Scratched into the metal beside a microphone grill was a small line of symbols and numbers, blemishing the dash like graffiti on the side of a building. Amaya couldn't remember writing the launch code there, nor could she remember where she had secured such information, but that was for the best. Her past self should stay forgotten, though her handiwork could not be denied.

No, you can do it, she answered. Get us out of this place, my love.

He grinned, leaning forward into the microphone. He began to list off the string of phrases and numbers, and when he confirmed them, the turbulence she was feeling began to grow more violent, the cockpit practically shaking around her.

Brace yourselves, daughters, she projected. Amaya could feel them moving about on the lower deck, Rita lodging herself into one of the storage compartments, Luna taking a more thoughtful approach and using the ladder as a brace.

A synthetic voice began counting down from ten, Amaya tensing up as the turbulence reached a violent apex. She felt warm flesh in her lower left palm, looking round to see Maddox had reached out and taken her hand in his. He gave her palm a squeeze, the gesture washing all the apprehension out of her body.

The countdown reached zero, Amaya feeling her intestines sink into her stomach as the starship ignited, the walls of the silo painted a harsh yellow as the engines propelled them upward. There was a joystick between Maddox's knees, but his hands were firmly clasped around his armrests. Their fate was now in the hands of the autopilot's cold logic.

The ship cruised up towards the hatch, Amaya sucking in a gasp as she feared the silo was too narrow for the starship to fit, but the craft squeezed neatly through the silo doors, the hatch sliding down the glass canopy, the view turning to one of pure, naked sky. They speared away from the ceiling of the hive, the resin stretching on for kilometres in all directions below, overgrowing the outskirts of the city like a cancer made manifest. As the land slipped away from the corners of the glass, she briefly wondered if Jake had scrambled clear of the gallons of fuel they'd burned to ascend, then realised she didn't care one bit what the alien had done.

She felt a tremendous weight pushing her into the couch, as though the grip of the very world itself was trying to bring her back down. The thought troubled her, and she squeezed Maddox's hand a little harder. Would the planet let her go? It had thwarted her efforts at every turn so far, it wouldn't relent now, would it?

The raindrops against the glass canopy struck the ship with force, their acceleration ever increasing as the clouds began to draw closer. She knew the thunderheads weren't solid objects, yet a part of her still felt as though they were rocketing straight into a brick wall, her tail coiling around her leg hard enough to leave indents in her dark hide.

They pierced into the cloud layer, Amaya finding it harder to breathe as that weight on her chest multiplied tenfold. The world beyond the glass turned to brown mist, a crooked arc of lightning streaking down the left half of the canopy, the sudden eruption of light making her heart hammer. This was it, the acid storm would spell their end, the ship would be struck and if they were lucky, they would all perish before the starship came tumbling back into Solaris' cold embrace.

Just as the pressure of the G-forces became unbearable, it all stopped.

The jets of flames burning from the engines ceased, the clouds fading away, replaced by an expanse of inky darkness. The constant shaking and creaking of the metal contraption dissipated, Amaya glancing down in bewilderment as her arms began to float, as though she'd just been submerged in water.

The view out of the glass canopy listed to the side, those thousands of stars turning, until a large white dot swept into view, Amaya watching it with a slack-jawed expression. She knew the moon was pale, she'd seen it many times, but its shade was so pure, its smooth surface completely untarnished from any form of blemish.

A sudden brightness caused her to shy away, Amaya looking through her outstretched hand to see the sun, standing out like a golden coin against the eternal darkness, so utterly bright her eyes would have watered if she had any.

As the ship listed further around, its movements small and lazy, a gigantic orb panned into sight. An endless curve rose from one end of the canopy to the other, the landscape between roiled with thunderheads and thick overcast the colour of dirt. She could not see the continent from where they'd launched from, the acid storm still loomed across it, so unbelievably massive the world seemed engulfed by it. Glancing further afield, the murky clouds eventually parted, revealing oceans the colour of slate, the water reflecting dazzling rays as the monumental sun shined across the planet. At the very peak was a cap of ice, so small she could cover it with her hand. Below the equator, the world was plunged into shadow, the dark so deep it almost seemed to blend into the backdrop of the void.

Solaris hung like a brown marble in endless nothingness, so very still, as though all the carnage that had happened upon its surface was insignificant in the grander scheme of things, but Amaya couldn't be more ecstatic.

We made it! she cried out. I'm looking at Solaris through the skies! We've done it!

"I can't believe it," Maddox breathed, running a hand through his hair, the little strands waving like tendrils above his skull. "It's staring me straight in the face, and I still can't believe it."

She freed herself from the pilot seat, sucking in a gasp as she started to float towards the front dash, her belly swimming with odd sensations of weightlessness. A being of her size and brawn had no business drifting around like some sort of insect, Amaya reaching into Maddox's thoughts for an explanation. It seemed that forces worked differently this far away from a planet's gravity well, but that was more than okay. Being able to feel weightless, free from Solaris' pull, was a pleasant change of pace.

She kicked off the dash, drifting in Maddox's direction. She braced herself against his armrest, unfastened his safety belt, then lifted him in her arms, depositing him in her lap and pulling him into her breast. She cried, then, her body so bottled up with various emotions she wasn't sure if it was a happy weeping or a sad one, probably a mix of both.

They drifted around the cockpit, her back compressing against the wall after a time, the pair bouncing off in a light spin. The link became a frenzy of emotions, Maddox sending through his thoughts of reassurance as she cried her heart out, his cheek against her chest.

When she finally got herself back under control, she pulled him up her body, gazing into his eyes. Believe this, she cooed, lifting his chin with a hand. She subjected him to a deep, lascivious kiss, letting the floodgates of her emotions flow into the bond connecting them. Maddox recoiled, not in disgust but surprise, then leaned in to return the kiss, his soft tongue spiralling around her inner mouth. Tilting her head, she nipped playfully at his lips, careful of her fangs, her size and strength allowing her to set the pace, Maddox arching his spine as she explored his mouth.

Her moans joined the wet, smacking sounds filling the cockpit as he ran his hands up and down her back, one tracing the wide curve of her hip, the other brushing the front of her chest, his fleshy fingers so undeniably soft and warm. Her exoskeleton was reinforced to withstand gunfire, claw slashes, blunt strikes, and she had all the scars to prove it. Yet his clawless fingers were penetrating straight through her defences, making her knees tremble and her thighs clench. It was absurd, and she loved every second of it.

She could feel his nerves tingling as she cupped the back of his head, leaning in to her to intensify their kiss, breathing the air his lungs craved straight down his throat. She wanted to taste every inch of him, but she was careful of his human limitations, always probing his mind to gauge what he could and could not take. She waited until the last possible moment she could stay connected with him, then relented, withdrawing her pillowy lips from his with a wet pop, reaching up with a thumb to wipe away the shared saliva clinging to his face.

His colourful eyes flicked up to her face, her heart leaping as she saw the pure love for her in his gaze. The sunlight raced across the right half of his face, accentuating the muscles in his cheek and the grin on his lips. He was so handsome in that light, not to say her young and adoring host wasn't handsome all the time, but in that moment she felt like the luckiest queen alive.

"All the shit that could have killed us down there," Maddox muttered, glancing through the canopy at the looming planet. "Weyland Yutani, the cannibals, the Cleaner, the Mayor's people… but we did it. We made it through."

As we always would, she clarified, draping her upper arms over his shoulders. Together, they watched the stars and planets scroll by, the occasional creak filling the cockpit. It feels like a lifetime since the sun has warmed my bones, she said, sighing as she basked in the heat.

"It's prettier up close, isn't it?" he said, his tone turning sly as he smirked up at her. "You know, I thought the exact same thing when I first met you, Amaya."

The cheek on you, she said, swatting him playfully with her tail. Don't flatter a queen unless you're prepared to follow through, little human.

"Who says I'm not? Think we deserve some time to… 'celebrate' our win together…"

She purred at the implication, pulling him against her, dipping her crest as she loomed over him. Guiding him by the chin, she brought his lips to hers again, his metallic taste filling her mouth. This time Maddox was more aggressive, reaching up to cup her cheeks, using his more agile tongue to explore the roof of her mouth, the act causing something to stir inside her.

She shivered against him as his smooth organ stroked the base of her inner mouth, a mewl she had never made before escaping her throat. Maddox opened his eyes, pulling back as he flashed her a concerned look.

"You okay girl? What was that?"

My tongue is full of sensitive tissue, especially around the base, she explained, reaching up to rub the side of her crest.

"Oh. Did I hurt you?"

Goodness, no! she exclaimed. Do it again, but just… be gentle.

He grinned up at her, and when they conjoined again, he eased his tongue towards the back of her throat, his stroking as soft as a painter's brush as he licked the stalk of her tongue again, her smaller jaws quivering in delight.

Like this? he asked her, his disembodied voice echoing as though three of him were speaking to her at once, the thought exciting her.

That feels good, she sent back. His confidence growing, he applied a little more pressure on his doting, mapping out every inch of her throat with his tongue. At one point he used the point of his tone to stroke the underside of her smaller mouth, making come here gestures with his flesh, Amaya feeling her legs turn to jelly. The gesture would have sent her falling to the floor had there been any gravity to make it happen.

When he made to pull away, she cupped his soft hair in a palm, keeping them connected a few moments longer. Saliva linked their lips by a clear strand, the liquid making strange shapes in the air when Maddox brushed his face clean.

"Gotta be careful not to fill the ship up with spit," he murmured, taking a second to catch his breath, drinking in her figure without shame. He slowly brought his mouth to her neck, Amaya sinking her fingers into his hair as he licked at her exoskeleton, her partner tracing the firm ribs that shielded her torso, the ridges overlapping her exoskeleton like medieval armour.

She faltered as he rubbed a cheek against her chest, Amaya completely aware of how much he enjoyed the texture of her body, as it was all he was thinking about. Even despite the fact she lacked breasts – she was far too alien for that to be possible – their absence didn't deter her lover, Maddox planting greedy kisses on her shapely chest, Amaya shivering as his attentions enraptured her.

He slid a hand over her belly, his fingertips following the flat muscles cutting a channel through her abs. As the highest cast of Xenomorph, her body was a powerhouse of muscle, yet her role in the Hive as the reproducer still made her appear distinctly female. She was soft around the hips and thighs, her pinched midsection giving her an hourglass outline, Maddox taking her by the waist as he brushed his lips down her hide, his trail of kisses inching down to her stomach.

Her towering crest catching on the ceiling of the cockpit, she glanced down her tall body, her size all the more predominant with Maddox clinging to her belly like a monkey. His torso was half the size of her own, the breadth of her hips further than the span of Maddox's shoulders. Even the blade of her tail was as large as his head. One wrong move and she could very well crush him, but his trust in her was absolute, and she would never betray that trust ever again.

Using her curved waist as leverage, he drifted lower, the way they were both floating without making contact with any surface adding a bizarre touch to the display, not that she was complaining. With no gravity in the way, they could reach any part of each other with ease, the prospect making her giddy with anticipation.

He was low enough now to plant a kiss right above her nethers, the muscles in her smooth mound trembling as he mouthed at her. He wrapped a hand around her wide hips, groping one of her generous cheeks. Her butt was as large as a car battery, packed with the muscle needed to propel her thousand pound frame around, Maddox's approval evident as he felt the springy tissue resist his squeezing.

Having fun down there? she cooed, his shameless groping making her squirm. With no gravity she couldn't escape his reach, not that she really wanted to, but her size and weight was one of her best advantages in any situation, and without that leverage she felt oddly vulnerable.

"It's crazy, but I never realised you had such a dump truck back here," he teased, trailing a hand down her thigh as he gave her rump a slap, her flesh rippling like the surface of a disturbed pond.

Maddox! she gasped in embarrassment. I… may have let myself go a little when I had drones to do manual labour for me, but it's not like I've had a lot of time to work out as of late, okay?

"You're perfect, girl," he said, the earnesty in his tone making butterflies swim in her stomach.

He brought his face tantalisingly close to her privates, Amaya mentally preparing herself for his smooth tongue to lash at her entrance. She growled when he circled them, moving lower, planting a long kiss on the inside of her thigh. Her legs were stout, thicker around than Maddox's chest given his distinctly thin build, her exoskeleton clinging firmly to her powerful muscles. There was very likely more muscle in her two legs than his whole body, yet for all their brawn, she still sucked in a gasp when he planted his hands on her inner thighs, his fingers sinking into her sensitive, malleable flesh, Maddox easing them apart to expose her womanhood.

Rather than go down on her, he instead kept his attention on her thighs, Amaya whining as he left lingering smooches on the spot her thick legs anchored to her waist. She knew he was an affectionate creature, but this was on a whole other level, her mind fizzling out as she drowned in the pleasure.

She moved a shaky hand towards her privates, peeling her loins open with two fingers in a silent invitation to him. Flesh as grey as stone bloomed between her swollen folds, her opening sopping with her liquid excitement, a fresh surge of the fluids leaking out as Maddox breathed warm air on her crotch.

"Want to cut right to business, hm?" he asked, Amaya sensing his quickening heartbeat. "I don't why, but, I just have this urge to kiss you all over right now."

Then don't stop, my love, she said. but go slow, it feels good when you're slow.

No sooner had she sent the message did he rake his flat tongue against her labia, Amaya covering her mouth to prevent a moan from slipping out. It had felt warm when they made out, but Maddox's tongue was practically scorching her flushed lips, her legs jutting out in surprise as he probed her tunnel.

She placed a hand on his head, encouraging him to deepen their contact, her toes curling as he traced her slimy folds. He peered up at her as he ate her out, Amaya unable to hold his gaze for long as he delivered an especially hard lick, her nectar spilling across his chin and making his skin sparkle. She coiled her tail around his back, yelping in surprise when her back compressed against the far wall, the contact inadvertently pushing his soft tongue deeper inside her tunnel, the cockpit spinning in crazy loops as they bounced away.

She felt his organ push into what felt like every crease of her passage, Maddox holding onto her hips as she subjected him to the strokes of his alien tongue. A warmth permeated the lower half of her body, her tail constricting a little tighter as the waves of pleasure began to mount inside her.

She let slip a snarl when his questing organ brushed the underside of her clitoris, Amaya's already weightless body growing lighter as Maddox switched his attention to it. Every nibble and suck encouraged her bud to draw out of its protective pocket, Amaya's state of arousal only growing more violent as he lapped at her most intimate part.

Even just the noise of him licking at her clitoris was enough to make her blush, Amaya cradling her face in her upper hands, the long rolls of her hips encouraging Maddox to keep up his attentions. Had she been just a little more willing, she might have let Maddox have his way with her, force her to come like that, but she wanted their celebration to be a shared experience. She wanted him to feel good too.

She gently eased his head away from her crotch, Maddox reluctantly pulling the length of his tongue out of her sopping passage. Still keeping a hold on him with her tail, she pulled his weightless body up along her body, connecting her forehead to his. She pecked him once on the lips, then nibbled on his neck, using her lower pair of arms to tug on the waistband of his pants.

"A-Amaya? What're you doing?" he chuckle, Amaya tickling his sensitive neck with little nips of her teeth. His tongue may be soft and pliant, but the Xenomorph equivalent of that organ was designed by evolution to be ruthless and deadly, the jaws packed with muscle, and she had an inkling that would work well enough in their current situation.

You're not the only one with an urge to kiss right now, she purred. Her pearly teeth flashing, she sank her fangs into his skin, not hard enough to pierce his flesh, but enough to make the human gasp in shock, Amaya watching with a smirk as he gripped her torso with his arms, like he was holding onto her for dear life. She glanced his jugular, applying a little more pressure, letting her saliva flow freely as she mouthed at him. She pulled away, leaving a red welt on his skin, quickly soothing his little spike of discomfort by planting a soft kiss on the mark.

W-Watch the teeth, Maddox projected, but his warning was in vain. Amaya was hardwired into his very mind, nothing between them was private, and hurting him would be like hurting herself, and it would be nearly impossible to trick her brain into causing either one of them injury.

Keeping up her teasing of his sensitive neck, she lowered her secondary pair of arms, these ones more suited for delicate work, tugging at the waistband of his pants. She lowered them to his knees, exposing his briefs, a noticeable bulge tenting the fabric from the inside. Peering down his chest, Amaya watched as she slid his underwear away, Maddox's length catching on the elastic for a moment before she freed his member.

She had seen his reproductive organ before, when they made love for the first time, but she still found herself entranced by the sight. Only the most elite cast of Xenomoprh males had genitals, but they were nothing like his pink, slightly bent length. She could sense his blood pumping towards his crotch, his flesh swelling as a result. His mouthing of her entrance had excited him, but not quite all the way, Amaya smirking as she thought of a quick solution.

Maddox made an adorable little sound as she gripped his shaft in her lower hands, clenching her palms, giving him an experimental squeeze. Now it was his turn to go weak in the knees, his thoughts sizzling out until all he focused on was her fingers.

What was that noise? she teased, smirking when he covered his burning face in a palm. Giggling, she reached up to pry his arm away, Maddox wrestling with her for a moment. She chuckled, using her other primary arm to easily overpower him, letting her look straight into his cute little face.

"No fair, you've got four arms," he pouted, but it was all a farce, the two snickering like children as they entwined their hands together. To illustrate his point, she tightened her grip in her lower hands even further, encompassing most of his length in her long fingers.

She gave his cock a lazy pump, his foreskin peeling back ever so slowly, Amaya chewing on her lower lip as she exposed his pink tip. She could feel his rod gently growing with each glide of her fingers, Amaya alternating which fingers tightened as she moved her fists across his shaft.

Keeping her strokes slow and powerful, she encouraged more blood to rush into his organ, the way her fingers acted like ribs making Maddox's eyes flutter. She alternated the pressure between one hand and the other, never quite following a rhythm so he couldn't get used to the sensation for very long, each shock of pleasure making him grow in her palms.

You can go a little faster, Maddox said, his ethereal voice caressing the back of her mind like a whisper.

Oh ho, has Maddox lost the ability to speak? she cooed, fixing him with a sultry grin. He opened his mouth to speak, Amaya making sure to give his organ a cruel squeeze so his voice faltered.

"N-No, speaking like you do is… is easier right now."

I can imagine, she chuckled. Did I ever tell you how much I love it when you project your voice at me? she added. It just makes me want to fill your mouth with my tongue so you never speak like a human again.

"Y-Yeah?" he asked, clearly too overwhelmed to give a more thorough response.

Yeah, she echoed, her crest towering over him as she leaned in. Every word is like a drug, making me feel dizzy in all the right ways. Communication is essential in a Hive Mind, every order and response is laced with emotion, meaning, and as queen I don't just feel every thought, I embrace it. From a drone, I absorb their loyalty, from a praetorian, their duty. But from a host… and my mate no less…

She grinned, the tips of her teeth showing.

It's like my body compels me to have you. Every word you say makes me want to jump your bones, to mount you, taste you, to have your essence filling my womb to bursting.

Maddox's face was already flushed with heat, but he blushed even harder at her sordid words, and he made to cover his face with a hand again, then reconsidered.

"W-Well, I…" He ceased his stuttering, his telepathic words finishing the thought. I guess I'll have to speak like this more often, won't I?

If that's your wish. Just don't expect me to take things this slow all the time. Or to give you any warning. You'll have to be constantly on your guard.

You came out of my chest, Amaya, I can handle you any day.

She sighed, the sound of her name washing over her thoughts like the softest breeze, the muscles in her core clenching in anticipation. She redoubled her efforts, stroking the underside of his glans with her thumb, his organ twitching in response. She removed her left hand for only a moment, dipping her fingers into her leaking passage, coating her digits in her slippery juices. She began to rub her essence over his smooth tip, but the fluid only seemed interested in forming little suspended bubbles, the liquid forming crazy shapes as the gravity-less air carried them away.

Huh. Should have seen that coming, she mused, tracking a glob of her fluids that passed over her belly, drifting away like bubbles. Undeterred, she continued her handjob, as the humans called it, his pulse travelling through his flexing member and into her arms. Maddox tried to project a thought, but an especially savage squeeze of her fingers made his mind fill with static, Amaya relishing in his reaction as she returned to nipping at his throat. She liked how his blood rushed to his skin with every suckle and lick, it was almost like she was marking him as hers.

To have such a virile young man as my host, Amaya murmured, gripping Maddox by the chin. Although she had no eyes, she held his gaze anyway, a tiny drop of influence ensuring that he didn't look away. Our separation, the amount of times we could have died on that planet… it all seems so worth it now that it's over.

She could feel his body starting to near its limit, but she ceased her cruel pumping at the last second, leaving his member throbbing in the air as she pulled away. Her attentions had left him at full mast, more than full mast it seemed. If she didn't know any better, she'd say it looked bigger than the last time they'd lain together…

Maddox voiced a frustrated grunt at her sudden change of pace, but she didn't leave him alone for long. She placed one of her larger hands on his crotch, cupping his member from below, her lower arms sneaking around his ribs. With a firm hold on him, she used her free hand to grab at the overhead bulkhead, propelling them towards the corner of the cockpit. They hit the far edge of the glass canopy with an audible thunk, Amaya spreading her legs out wide, bracing herself against the side dash and one of the pilot chairs.

There, now we won't float around while we mate, she declared, planting a hand on the glass to her right.

"You don't mince words, do you girl?" Maddox asked.

I don't use words, I use thoughts.

"Same difference," he replied.

Amaya wrapped her tail around his waist, using it like a noose to bring their hips together, guiding his erection towards her flushed lips. With his shoulders and stomach encased in her arms, it looked like she was cocooning him with her limbs, blocking out all of the world but her from his point of view, her gaze never leaving his.

You're mine, Maddox, she whispered, her lurid thoughts sweeping over his mind. Now, make me yours.

"You were always one to put things verbosely," he said, wincing as she guided him forward, the tip of his cock kissing her slick vulva, Amaya letting her hand fall away now that their intimate parts were aligned. "I remember how dirty you talked last time we were like this…"

As I said, communication is key for us Xenomorphs. Now, mate with me, Maddox. Breed me, and make me your queen.

He didn't need to be told twice, Maddox taking her by the waist, and plunging his cock into her lips, the first creases of her entrance splaying wide as he split her open. His length broke through the initial ring of resistance, gliding along the slippery fluids dripping out of her passage, the ridge that capped his tip catching on her clenching walls.

They winced in unison as his alien organ baked her tunnel, her flesh rippling along his length as he slid into her, his balls slapping against her thighs as he bucked. Her insides wriggled, trying to conform to the shape of this foreign object, her walls clenching without pause. Amaya bared her teeth, the way his girth seemed to tear at her insides making her core burn with a sweet ache.

For a second neither one of them was brave enough to move, Amaya feeling the flared midsection of his shaft push against the rings of muscle lining her passage. It was almost painful, her pelvic floor doing her no favours as it clenched down on him of its own accord.

Pressing the flat of her tail into the small of his back, she pushed him the rest of the way inside, their hips slowly joining together as inch after inch of organ was swallowed up by her puffy lips.

When there was only a sliver of his cock left, she gripped him tightly, pulling him roughly the rest of the way, a wet squelching sound filling the cockpit as they mated, quickly chased by Amaya's hiss of approval. Maddox lurched, his eyes shutting as her slimy walls embracing him in one final smooth motion, her tail stroking his rear with smooth, comforting movements.

Amaya tried to hold still as he adjusted to these new sensations, lifting her face to the ceiling, uttering a moan that was a blend of pain and excitement. Her insides felt like they were stretching to their absolute limits, Amaya able to feel every vein and contour of his length as he throbbed inside her. Perhaps her efforts with her hands had worked a little too well…

"M-Maya? You okay?" Maddox asked. Her body responded by clenching down on him, the way his eyes rolled into the back of his head suggesting he was similarly affected.

Y-Yes, she stuttered, her concentration on projecting her thoughts faltering. Clearly my… body has forgotten how big you are, but there's an easy solution for that, isn't there?

She began to gently rock her hips, her movements sluggish, precise, the tight hold of her tail keeping her impacts from knocking him away. Even the smallest of movements was enough to send her reeling, spikes of pleasure cascading up her torso. She'd thought she'd be used to feeling Maddox's organ inside her given their last encounter, but she was deliciously wrong, every surge and twitch on his end making her passage constrict in the most wonderful of ways.

Maddox slid his hands over her waist, rubbing his cheek against her breast as he compressed their stomachs together, the left and right motions plunging him into her softest reaches. She made another of those surprised mewls as he took handfuls of her butt, enjoying the way her pliant tissue wobbled in his grip.

If only my skeleton was on the inside like your species are, she mused, fresh tingles crawling up her spine as his dull fingers roamed over her wide hips. Humans like their females softer, right?

"I wouldn't know," he replied. "I've only ever had eyes for you, girl."

Maddox, the time for flattery is long past us, she said, any seriousness in her point neutered by her giggling. But a few words couldn't hurt…

"Your skin is like… hard and soft at the same time," he said, running a hand across her belly, her flat muscles tensing at his touch. "You're as tough as nails, I've seen you shrug off bullets, and that kind of muscle sort of… accentuates your curves in all the right ways. That make any sense?"

She answered by increasing the pace of their coupling, her passage swirling around his member as she moved from slow movements to steady ones. A fresh wave of her copious fluids leaked around his shaft, Amaya grinding on his flexing organ, struggling to control her faculties as she titled her hips, the motion not unlike the swaying of a pendulum. His length seemed to spear into parts of her she didn't know existed, Amaya encouraging him to plunge into her at new angles that excited the both of them.

He cursed under his breath, his breathing hitching in his throat as her muscular walls viced around him, Maddox leaning more of his weight into her. He kissed her just below her neck, her walls rippling in response, Maddox pecking her dark hide with quick flicks of his tongue, his affections making her trill with glee.

She placed an upper hand on the back of his head, encouraging him to explore her, cradling his face against her bosom as she stroked his scalp, the way her long nails scratched making him shiver against her. She knew all his pressure points, all his little weaknesses, Amaya alternating between rocking her hips and circling them, knowing the exact moment when to change their pace so Maddox never got complacent.

When she made a lazy circle of eight with her hips, Maddox grunted like a bull into her chest, his hands clasping tightly over her pinched waist as though he might float away, which he technically would given the circumstances. It seemed they were both full of embarrassing noises today, but that was okay, she wanted Maddox to be his true self around her, and likewise, she wanted him to see her for who she really was, with no barriers between them, mentally or otherwise.

Can we go faster? she asked, holding him by the chin and guiding his eyes to her face, her other hand still combing his hair all the while. Even though she was in control of their lovemaking, she wanted some of the decisions to be his. She would have to learn to share her authority if they were going to start a new brood together.

"A-A little," he panted, her heart melting at his quivering voice.

Letting her raw emotion flood the link they shared, she bent double, bringing her dark lips to his once more, wrapping him up in all four of her arms as she delivered a tender kiss. She nipped at his questing tongue, Amaya moaning into his throat as his length surged at the bawdy act. The rocking of her hips stuttered, but didn't relent, Amaya driving him into the depths of her love-tunnel with a minute increase in her tempo.

Glancing down at their conjoined hips, she paused the gentle rocking motions, instead pulling her hips away, watching as inches of his pink skin slid out of her entrance, the glistening fluids drenching his organ bubbling away into the air. She paused when his midsection split open her lips, waited for a moment, then lowered herself back down, her thighs clapping against his as they mated once more. Maddox tossed his head back, arcs of pleasure shooting up his body as a wonderful pressure tightened over their privates.

Amaya fared no better, her core burning like wildfire as the sudden surge of ecstasy made her see spots. Working up the courage, she let her hips move away again, aware of every rib and bump as his length dragged against her spasming depths, delivering another savage rut that elicited another bestial grunt from her partner. Technically this wasn't a little increase in their speed, but Maddox offered no complaints, their link turning haywire as she slammed back down on him again, the wet sounds of their lovemaking very loud in the confines of the cockpit.

Are you getting close, Maddox? she asked, but even as the thought left her mind, she knew it was a useless question. Not just because of the way he was gritting his teeth, or how his own thrusts were starting to become needy, desperate. She could read his emotions at any point, his mind was fully open to her, and the moment she prodded his thoughts, she could sense his pleasure, sense the odd way that her passage creased and wriggled around his surging member. She could tell he thought her movements as cruel and efficient, his eyes hazing over as his excitement began to mount.

Her primal urges demanded she bring him to climax, and she gave into them just a little bit, her thrusts losing their precision in favour of raw force. Her walls were fever-hot now, the way they violently clamped down on his buried length surprising even herself, her own need for release creeping up on her with every slap of their hips.

"Fuck, A-Amaya I…" Maddox trailed off, closing his eyes as he leaned against her breast, the sensations overwhelming him. She hugged the back of his head against her, clutching him apologetically as her passage coiled over his length without pause. He wrapped his arms around her, clutching her in a desperate attempt to stave off his orgasm.

I might not be able to reproduce with you, she said, her lurid voice bringing him out of his stupor. But why not try anyway? Fill me, Maddox, don't let a drop go to waste.

She increased her tempo, her thrusts coming on faster and aggressive, driving him into the absolute limits of her quivering loins. Amaya's body was a byproduct of evolution at its absolute pinnacle, thousands of generations of brutal genetic selection had honed her species into nature's most efficient killing machines, and as queen, she was the peak of Xenomorph evolution. And now all that served at Maddox's pleasure. She was genuinely surprised he had lasted this long, their prior bout of lovemaking must have furthered his limits, Amaya's mouth watering at the prospect of how long he would last after this session, or the many that would come after…

His sliding length created a burning friction inside her passage as she rutted into his lap, the sensation complemented by the smooth massages of her flexing walls. She could see her sculpted muscles through his eyes, her soft 'dump truck' as he called it wobbling beneath his clinging hands. Amaya was no longer sure which body she was feeling, hers or Maddox's. They were joined not only through the mind, but the body as well, and the lines that bordered their individualities started to blur as they gave into their primal urges.

An intense pressure began to build up inside her, radiating not just in her loins, but her entire body, love so raw and powerful permeating her entire being, a sensation she couldn't even conjure in her dreams fogging her mind.

She let go of all pretence, mating him like a feral beast, using his cock to scratch her climax right out of her. She remained aware of his limitations, never quite crossing the threshold of his tolerance, but never backing off from it either. She twisted atop him, letting her rising need guide her movements, her rough panting blowing strands of his hair away.

They were already so tightly pressed together, but Amaya used her tail to further their coupling anyway, pushing his rump forward when she pistoned into his hips, making sure as much of his body was touching hers at all times.

Sensing that Maddox was barely holding on, she took his face into her arms, her upper hands wide enough she could cover both his shoulders and then some. She pressed her mouth against his, violently pumping him with her hips as she did, driving his organ deeper and deeper towards her womb. So aware she was of his mind, she knew the exact amount of thrusts he had left in him, Amaya making sure the last one was her hardest, slamming down on him hard enough to leave a bruise on his pelvis.

Her dark flesh contrasting against his pink, she brought their bellies together in one savage thrust, Amaya opening her mouth in a silent cry as his twitching length wrung her emission from her.

She saw white, her vision blurring as her head filled with static. She felt herself breathing a series of little sighs, but the sound was coming from very far away, almost as though she was wearing a pair of earmuffs. Her passage undulated, a fresh surge of her fem-cum tiding down Maddox's shaft, her many limbs going rigid as ecstasy made her its plaything.

Maddox's organ surged one last time, a violent torrent of his hot seed pumping into her nethers, Amaya easing it out with a compassionate swing of her hips. The heat was painful, but in the best of ways, the thick fluid splashing against the roof of her tunnel, a sensation of fullness making her head spin.

Her passage clenched, milking a second rope of his emission, another wave of her orgasm chasing the first as he filled her up. With nowhere else to go, his hot cum began to spill out of her, electrical zaps crossing the threshold of their link as sweet euphoria burned through her thoughts.

Her bliss reached a whole new state, as yet another wave of her orgasm overrode her faculties, the throb of his rigid cock sending her crashing into orgasm. It just wouldn't stop. Even when she felt she could give no more, her core would tense up, and her passage would gush with her nectar. Somewhere in the back of her mind she felt a pang of fear, but the wall of euphoria was quick to drown it out.

She heard a beastly grunt from her lover somewhere, Amaya gasping as he fucked more of his seed into her reaches, his primal instincts not caring that their coupling would bear no fruit. She could feel herself expanding, his liquid warmth creating a bulge in her washboard abs from the amount he was pumping into her. That's when she realised. They were creating a hellish feedback loop of pleasure, their minds entwining into one as they gave over to their instincts, each orgasm from one was translated into the other, the euphoria bouncing back and forth between their minds, getting faster and more intense each time, like a laser reflecting off two mirrors.

I could keep us like this forever, she thought to herself, even as the climax became more and more unbearable with each throb of ecstasy, threatening to drown her. With just a touch of influence and a little bit of concentration, she could prolong this state of being indefinitely, but with Maddox's essence sloshing inside her core, she wasn't sure if she could concentrate on anything else.

She reached out for her host's mind, closing down all his senses until all that was left was her. When he found the strength to open his eyes, his lids fluttering as a sixth, maybe seventh wave of his ejaculate left him, he saw they were floating in a whitewashed aether. No cockpit, no starship, just him and her in their own little pocket of bliss.

Pressing her heaving body into his, they rode out the throws of their endless climax, his hands pawing at hers until he succeeded in interlocking his fingers with her lower arms. He groaned into her chest, nuzzling her, glancing up at her with a pleading expression on his face.

"Amaya, I… this … how…"

Shh, she whispered, rubbing his cheek against hers. Give me all you have, Maddox. Give me an army of your children, so that our brood will be the largest for generations to come.

She sensed his pleasure, sore but satisfied, the sensation chased by the harsh ache of reality that being drained like this was sapping the strength from his body. Amaya sent him an apologetic whisper, cradling him in her many limbs, keeping them riding this high for as long as he could tolerate it.

Amaya was bloated with his seed at the point, grinning at the thought that her tummy was swollen with his child, just as though she were a human mother. Their bodies were twitching and heaving, She slowly started to separate their minds, but only a little, Amaya pulling away to nuzzle at his hair, his warm breath washing over her face all the stimulation made them its plaything.

She kept hold of him like that for a few more minutes, then let go of the reins she'd cast over his mind, Maddox stirring as though waking from a dream, which in many ways it had been. She still kept the real world blocked out by the aether she'd conjured, she wanted the world to be nothing but Maddox for a while yet.

He sagged away from her, Amaya keeping a firm hold on his rump so he didn't drift off. When he blinked his vision clear, he brought his mouth to hers once more, this time their kiss was lazy, placating, Amaya finding herself momentarily surprised by his assertiveness.

"That was… wonderful," Maddox said as he broke away. "And a little scary. I thought it would never end."

That was my doing, she clarified. I let the barrier between our minds break, just a little bit. I'm sorry if I overwhelmed you.

"Maybe give me a little warning next time," he panted, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Ah, already thinking of round two, Maddox? Cheeky boy.

He began to pull out of her, but Amaya tightened her tail over his waist. Wait! Not yet, she pleaded. I want to be one with you, my love

His face warming, he ceased his efforts, leaning into her arms, the pair sighing as they cuddled. She could still feel the pulsing sensation of their prolonged orgasm, as though her nerves had permanently readjusted to the feeling.

She placed a hand on her belly, noting her abs were notably less flat now, Amaya giving herself an experimental prod. She felt his twitching member through her exoskeleton, sealed in by a pool of their shared fluids, Maddox wincing as she traced the length of his reproductive organ through her hide. She was so full, so connected with him, and she never wanted the moment to end.

"Better?" Maddox asked, Amaya cocking her head at the odd timing of the question.

Of course, my love. Never in my life have I felt so satisfied.

"I'm glad for you," he replied. He made to slide back out of her again, and once more Amaya stopped him.

Hold on, just a few minutes longer.

He chuckled. "You have to let go of me sometime, girl."

No, she snapped, bundling him up in her arms, fearing he may pull out even though her strength was many times his own. I already let you go once before. History won't repeat itself, I won't let it.

"Interesting choice of words," Maddox said, placing a hand on her arm. "Don't worry, girl. I'm here. I'm always here. Never forget that."

She clung to him stubbornly, shaking her head no. She didn't know how long she spent drifting through that aether with him, only that it felt like it stretched on into forever. Yet, that still wasn't long enough. It never was.

Reluctantly, she dropped the white veil, the world pouring around her, as though she were standing inside a melting igloo. When the aether dissolved, there was no cockpit, or starship for that matter, and when she turned her head to look out of the glass canopy, she didn't see Solaris and its solar system, but a panoramic view of a world she didn't know the name of, the land lush with trees and valleys, the flora such a deep shade it was almost as though the vegetation hadn't known the touch of sunlight in many generations, despite the warm morning sun spilling across the vast landscape.

Damn it, Amaya whined, dragging a groggy hand down her face, glancing about her surroundings as she sat up. Baring the horizontal slit carved into the northern wall to serve as a quaint viewing point, her chambers were an exact replica of the one back in her original Hive, her nest in the middle, a tunnel leading away in the far corner, resin coating everything.

She swung her legs over the edge of the nest, her high-heeled feet tapping against the floor. It was the same every time. The ship, Luna and Maddox's turn of fates, the lovemaking that was more sweet and satisfying than she could ever imagine, the headaches that had interluded throughout…

It also ended the same way, her waking up here, cold with sweat, moments away from what their next move would be. She knew the dwelling wasn't healthy for her wellbeing, and she'd tried her best to move on, but some days were just the absolute pits, and she needed something to recuse herself after a long day, and Maddox always said she had quite the wild imagination. Or had he? Memory was the first thing to go when age had reared its head at her.

I'm always here. Never forget that.

The dream always ended with those words. She wasn't sure if it was the logical part of her consciousness sending her the message, or if it really was Maddox still watching over her from beyond his grave. She liked to think it was the latter, obviously. After all, each decade she spent on this strange planet felt a little less lonely each time, and not just because of the new, healthy brood working in the tunnels below. Often times she would think she saw movement out of the corner of her vision, or hear a soft voice, a male's voice, one that whispered words of encouragement when she felt her old muscles complain.

Never forget that.

She wouldn't, because Amaya saw it happen. Her escape from Solaris might not have gone the way she'd imagined it, but what difference did it really make?

She saw it happen. And that was all that mattered.

-The End-

Happy merry April Fools everyone