Chapter 23
- Krix’vorr -
The moment the Beast closes around us, a fraction of the tension leaves my body. But only a fraction.
The living walls seal shut behind us and the sounds of the Nest fade.
The endless pulse of the Royal Chamber no longer presses against my thoughts, yet the Queen remains present all the same.
Every word she spoke follows me through the corridors like a second shadow.
I find myself replaying the audience already, examining answers, pauses, and glances for dangers I might have missed.
Nora walks beside me, matching my pace without difficulty. To my surprise, she appears almost cheerful. “Home again. Things really could have been worse.”
I give her a glance. "The Queen questioned you. The Inquisitor questioned me. Half the court now suspects something unusual is happening between us."
Nora considers that while continuing down the corridor. "We're alive."
I release a low growl through my mandibles and resume walking. "There is evidence for that."
"Then I stand by my assessment."
Before I can explain the many ways in which survival and success are entirely different things, a servant comes scuttling toward us carrying a message tablet.
It lowers itself immediately and presents the tablet with both forelimbs.
This is proper protocol for when we are in port, where matters are considered less urgent.
Out in space, the signals chief himself would have delivered the message.
I take the tablet and touch it to my antenna. The report contains exactly what I expected and somehow still manages to disappoint me. No progress. No confirmed location for the Gzet homeworld.
So the other scout, Sophia, remains somewhere beyond our reach. Nora's bluff before the Queen bought us time, but time becomes worthless if someone else finds that female before we do.
Nora studies my expression. "Bad news?"
"The same news. No trace.” I look down at the servant. "Summon the chiefs and command crew," I order. "All of them."
They gather quickly, direction specialists line one side of the chamber and the chiefs assemble on the other.
Servants cling to walls and ceilings, attempting to attract as little attention as possible.
Lucius hovers near the ceiling, buzzing softly.
Nora takes up position beside me and folds her arms.
I hold up the report. "Explain."
A navigator lowers his antennae and head almost to the table. "We've searched every route she could've taken, Chief Harrower. We've followed transmission trails, trade routes, old records, and current traffic."
Another crewmember picks up the explanation. "Every lead ends the same way. The Gzet homeworld is hidden. Deliberately hidden."
I grind my mandibles together. "This has been known for many longcycles."
The navigator inclines his head. "Because it remains true."
For several moments nobody speaks. The chamber settles into an uncomfortable silence as every creature searches for something useful to add.
The flying machine called Lucius eventually makes a strange beep and everyone looks up. "I believe the problem is that you're asking the wrong question."
I feel the beginning of a headache. "Proceed."
Lucius descends slowly. "The crew are attempting to locate a planet, using fragments of information. These fragments may hold the secret. But there are so many of them that nobody can put them all in place."
One of the navigators makes a dismissive sound.
Lucius ignores him entirely. "The Gzet have concealed their world successfully for generations. They will not leave a single track that can be followed."
"There better be a point to this," I growl.
"There is."
Out of the corner of my eye I notice Nora tilting her head to the side, as if intrigued.
Lucius continues as though nothing unusual has happened.
"Small pieces can make up a big picture. Someone always knows more than they think they know, when put alongside other information. Everything on this ship is alive. Living things are not good at putting pieces together unless there’s a clear pattern.
Only machines can do that. Well, you have a machine now: Me. "
I look at him with more interest. “And?”
"And so I request authority to conduct interviews."
"With whom?" I ask.
Lucius makes a small circle in the air. "Everyone."
The response is immediate. Crewmembers begin objecting over one another. Several servants flatten themselves against the walls as though trying to disappear. One navigator actually takes a step backward.
Lucius lowers itself in the middle of the table. "I wish to interview the crew, the servants, any captured aliens, any witnesses, and any records available aboard the Beast." His voice becomes almost eager. "And the Beast herself."
That finally silences the room.
I look at him for several moments. "The Beast does not answer questions. Not even from me. Certainly not from you."
"With respect, I have had her answer some questions, Chief Harrower."
"I struggle to imagine how."
"With difficulty, I admit," Lucius replies. "But she has seen many things over the years and with your immense authority behind me, perhaps she will tell me some of them."
I already know my answer. Allowing Lucius unrestricted access to my crew seems unwise, and allowing him access to the Beast seems even worse.
Before I can refuse, Nora speaks. "Why not let him try?"
Several crewmembers make sounds of immediate protest.
Nora ignores them. "You've already tried everything else. Besides, Lucius is smarter than anybody here. Machines are like that. We use them for everything that requires thinking, and if you ask them the right way, they can give good answers. And fast."
The chamber becomes even quieter than before.
Lucius dips one end of his shiny disk. "Thank you, Nora. Well put."
I close my eyes for a moment. I do need that Gzet planet. Then I point at Lucius. "You have permission."
Around the chamber, every creature present begins to look nervous. For reasons I can’t entirely explain, that makes me nervous too.
The crew parts for us as we leave the command chamber.
Nobody attempts to stop me, and nobody follows with another report or request. They remain behind, watching Lucius with the same expression I would expect from creatures observing a dangerous predator that has just wandered into the Nest. I find myself almost feeling sorry for them.
Beside me, Nora stretches both arms over her head and releases a long breath. "I think you just made everyone on this ship nervous."
"I believe Lucius accomplished that himself."
She laughs, and the sound eases something inside my chest. The effect is brief, though I notice it all the same. We continue through the corridor together while the Beast hums around us, carrying the familiar pulse of circulation systems and distant machinery.
The audience with the Queen refuses to leave my thoughts.
Every answer gets examined again. Every question acquires new meanings.
I replay the Queen's voice, the Inquisitor's interruptions, the expressions of the courtiers, and the way half the chamber stared at Nora.
Most of all, I keep hearing the Queen mention small thunderstorms.
Nora eventually catches me staring at nothing. She folds her arms and studies me as though I am a difficult puzzle. "You have an expression on your face that says the universe is collapsing and only you have noticed."
For a moment I consider explaining that the universe always appears close to collapse if examined carefully enough. The difficulty is that Nora might actually agree with me. Instead I keep walking and pretend not to hear her.
By the time we reach my chamber, I am tired of my own thoughts.
The membrane parts before us. The room looks exactly as I left it.
The bed occupies its usual place. The walls glow with the Beast's familiar amber light.
Somewhere beyond them, I can feel nutrients moving through her immense body.
The surroundings should feel comforting.
Instead I find myself listening for dangers that are no longer present.
Nora steps inside and turns toward me. "You are still thinking."
I wait for the membrane to seal behind us before answering. "The Queen is the one who’s thinking."
"She's always thinking, she said."
"She has precious little else to do. And now she’s thinking about you."
Nora watches me for several moments. Then she begins peeling loose one edge of her protective wrapping. The motion immediately draws my attention, which means she notices it at once.
A small smile appears on her face. "I am beginning to understand something."
I narrow my eyes. "Should I be worried?"
"Probably." She pulls a short strip loose and tosses it onto a nearby surface. "I think your entire species spends most of its time worrying."
"We do not."
"Perhaps not you. Well, except now. But everyone else does. They worry about what their superior will say and whether he will kill them for a small mistake. And the superiors worry about their higher superiors. And the Queen worries about everything."
I prepare an argument and discover that I don’t have one. And I’m not sure she’s wrong. I’d forgotten the atmosphere in the Nest, especially this close to a Harvest. The excitement does have a sour flavor to it. And why has the Queen created an Inquisitor?
For a while neither of us says anything.
The silence inside the chamber bears no resemblance to the silence in the Royal Chamber.
Nobody listens from hidden corners. No servants pretend not to stare.
No court officials wait for opportunities to attack a careless statement.
The Beast surrounds us with warmth and familiar sounds, and for the first time all day I feel removed from the Queen's presence.
Nora leans against the side of the resting platform and studies me. The playful expression fades gradually. Beneath it I see the same thing I have been feeling myself since we left the Nest: Relief.