Zephyr looked pleadingly to Selene. Who looked away the moment she did.

  "Don't look at her. I'm the one you killed, idiot."

  Zephyr stood up shakily; "Aboleth- listen I-"

  'swish'

  The end of Aboleth's tail smacked Zephyr and sent her tumbling across the sands a dozen meters. She ended up in a twisted heap of her own limbs.

  "I'm going to enjoy this..." Aboleth smirked and slithered in Zephyr's direction.

  "Either do it or don't Aboleth..." Selene told her. Conflict and grief written all over her face. Aboleth glanced back curiously, expecting an explanation for Selene's concern.

  "If it wasn't for her I'd probably be captured right now. And your egg would've been burned probably."

  Aboleth considered this for a moment.

  Zephyr coughed in the distance, giving out painful groans and grasping her side as she rolled over in the sand; "P-please... I'm sorry.. I thought you were turning Selene against humanity.."

  Aboleth was confused at that. As if she was surprised Zephyr had the gall to speak at all.

  "Last thing I remember I was looking up to see you cutting my throat. Funny thing is, before I was above something like petty revenge. But now? For whatever reason, petty revenge seems like a pretty viable strategy."

  Aboleth lifted her tail into the air, preparing to smash her. "Any last words?"

  "Please don't!" Zephyr cried out desperately—suddenly faced with the reality she just might die. "I don't know why I'm like this! I knew you'd be mad, I knew what could happen but I... I-" she clutched a hand at her chest; "-God I'm so scared... I'll do anything, just don't kill me! I'll become Zykra, like you!"

  Aboleth gave an annoyed sigh and lowered her tail.

  "So pathetic. You murdered me in cold blood and act like this? Have some dignity..." Aboleth crossed her arms, and propped a hand beneath her cheek. Zephyr was ugly crying. Knelt before her.

  "I jus wan'ed due 'elp 'ave hu'anity..." she mumbled quietly.

  Aboleth cast her a baleful look then; "Don't act so innocent. Not with a past like yours. If I was anyone else, I'd be dead right now. One of those you killed in the past. And now you cry and beg? Because I came back? If not me, how many would come back and kill you if they could?"

  Zephyr sniffled; "I don't... I don't knooow..." she gave another pleading glance towards Selene.

  Who was crying too, silently. Only watching. Unable to bring herself to say anything. Her principles wouldn't allow it. It wasn't her place to intervene—like Aboleth said. She wasn't the one who was killed. As uncomfortable as this experience was, it was necessary. Something Zephyr brought upon herself.

  Aboleth was still staring at Zephyr expectantly. Curiously. Angrily. Fed up. But Zephyr was unsure of what more there was to say...

  "I..." her eyes flashed around, searching for an explanation. She swallowed and, facing it all—looked back at the long line of betrayals, backstabbing, and other horrible things she's done.

  "I never asked for this! ...Any of this. My life, the world—I didn't grow up on a farm colony!"

  "But?" Aboleth interjected.

  Zephyr nodded; "But... I could be better now! With Selene, with the mission! I promise, if you let me live Aboleth—I'll help. I swear. I'll be better than I've ever been for you. No more lies... No more acts.."

  Aboleth shook her head.

  "Please!" Zephyr shouted again, but Aboleth raised a hand.

  "Calm down! ...Keep the lies. They could be useful, if... You can be trusted."

  "I can!"

  "No, you can't. At least not on your word alone." Aboleth put a few fingers on her brow as if she had a headache. "...Your brother."

  Zephyr was taken aback by that. Confused.

  "My... Brother?"

  "Your brother will work for me. I'll turn him into an Aboleth... Though we should really find another word for it now that I've taken it as my name."

  Selene looked up at that. Her face streaked with drying tears. "Huh?"

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  "Danny didn't do anything wrong!" Zephyr cried out.

  "If it means saving his precious sisters life, I have a feeling he won't care. He'll do it gladly." Aboleth said. "It'll make it easier to trust you going forward. Don't get me wrong, that's just a start. I'll be looking for other ways to guarantee your loyalty."

  "Aboleth..." Selene muttered.

  "What? I think it's a fair deal. I'd take that deal."

  Zephyr was clearly fighting the urge to wipe her face as she currently had no means to do so.

  "It's fine Selene..." she sniffled. "He's always wanted to be powerful. But, c-could you keep him mostly human? The Zykra- something is different about you." she flicked her eyes upwards behind her visor at Selene.

  "There is?" Selene whispered.

  Zephyr nodded.

  Maybe it was such a gradual change that Selene hadn't noticed. But there were other aspects to herself besides her human side. She just spent most of her time embracing her human side and avoiding the Zykra parts of herself. The urges to expand. To conquer. To adapt. It was growing stronger. More prominent.

  Aboleth saw Selene's insecurity and spoke quickly; "Who cares? We're alive—we're ourselves. Despite everything. I went from being myself- then to this 'Aboleth' thing with numb feelings, and now..." she chuckled; "I'm even more different, but I also feel more human at the same time. I have emotions again. Life is strange. Nothing is guaranteed forever, for the good or bad."

  A look of bittersweet hope was on her face.

  "So you're not going to kill me?" Zephyr asked.

  "Of course I am. I was just making that speech to catch you off guard—" Aboleth raised her tail and brought it down quickly towards Zephyr.

  But she stopped a few inches short of crushing her.

  "—That's not funny." Selene said. Zephyr was shaking like a cold dog.

  Aboleth shrugged. "I'm still mad. You try being the bigger person and spare your murderer. It's not easy. But... If we train her, show her how to fight... Her lying abilities could come in useful. Along with that armor of hers."

  "Oh thank god..." Zephyr flopped back onto her back.

  "In any case, what happened to you?" Aboleth asked Selene. Who was now sitting up in the sand. Armless, weak, and vulnerable.

  "You happened to me." she said flatly.

  Aboleth raised her eyebrows. Then she saw Selene's eyes widen in shock.

  She looked behind her—towards the stars where she saw Selene staring.

  A green caasiok was hovering towards the planet. Big enough to be seen from the ground.

  "That's what I like to see." Aboleth said quietly.

  The sounds of the Sequesters jets roared as it landed near them. The cargo-hold door opened.

  "Can we please hurry!? Protectorate and other Zykra forces will arrive soon!"

  Dr. Bryant's voice played from a loud speaker on the ship.

  The 3 women exchanged glances then. Selene chuckled tiredly; "Ah... So that all worked out huh? And to think I slept through most of it... Going forward, I expect you two to be my arms. Metaphorically."

  Aboleth smirked, "And physically too it looks like, at least until they grow back."

  "Yeah. I need a vacation from galactic conquest after this. I'm so glad no one died." Selene said breathlessly, looking up at the giant floating crustacean in the sky. At that final line her thoughts went to Evo, the little evolutionist moth man. That was a sad turn of events. Maybe she could get her own evolutionist.

  Zephyr stood up and started staggering towards the ship.

  "I'm traumatized... I need sleep. Bed." she called out as she stepped onto the ramp to the cargo-hold.

  "Do you trust her?" Aboleth asked as soon as Zephyr was out of ear shot. As she scooped up Selene into her arms.

  "..Kind of. She's... I think she has redeemable qualities."

  Aboleth gave an annoyed groan.

  They began to make their way back to the Sequester.

  "What?"

  "You really need to get a girlfriend."

  "PFFT!! As if! You need to... More like—" Selene was turning as purple as a plum. She had no clever counter for that. Instead she curled up a bit tighter.

  "Shut up."

  Aboleth had a self-satisfied grin as they entered the Sequester.

  Dr. Bryant immediately hounded them both with questions.

  Raymond and Danny were there too, trying to make up for the fact that they essentially contributed nothing the entire time. Confined to the Sequester. They over-compensated by asking if Zephyr needed anything, or if Selene needed bandages, hurrying to give Aboleth something to cover her chest with.

  But neither Zephyr nor Selene had the energy to have a conversation.

  Besides Aboleth. Who was having trouble fitting inside the ship in her Zykra form and so she demonstrated the 'camouflage' that Evo had given her.

  Aboleth changed impossibly infront of them.

  But not into a short, petite, black-haired pouty Major. Instead she transformed into a tall, powerfully built Zykra praetorian in human form. Wearing messy blue almost black hair around her shoulders like a cowl.

  They tied some blankets around her like a robe for the time being—until they could get her a new uniform more her size.

  Selene mentioned some kind of healing compound to Aboleth. Who said she would work it out with Dr. Bryant as soon as she could.

  For now they agreed to work out the details after they have successfully returned to Endelon 2. After Selene has recovered a bit of her 'essence'. They had to leave all their questions for the next day.

  Questions like; what to do with the caasiok full of the freshly created Zykra forces. How to deal with Ku'senai being on the hunt for preserver devices in the system. What to do now that puck was aware that Selene was Zykra. All these questions needed answers soon.

  Aboleth lowered Selene into her bed in the captains quarters as the Sequester flew through space at warp speed. Then turned to leave.

  "Aboleth."

  "What?"

  Selene smiled brightly at her. The relief evident on her face.

  "I'm so, so glad you're back."

  Aboleth gave her a subtle smile and nod; "I know."

  Then she left the captains quarters. The moment she did her smile disappeared. And the crushing responsibility of running an army fell onto her shoulders. To her, she was just bleeding out onto the bunkroom floor. To this. Without a moment in between. And before that, she remembered a resistance telepath operator killing her on the IBT battle-frigate. Waking up as the unfeeling Aboleth.

  Now?

  She thought about her husband on the Alexandria. Their children. She missed them now.

  Sora Masuka was back. Tugging at her. Giving her orders that conflicted with Selene's. And the Zykra's. Aboleth knew that her life with her family was over. But Sora didn't. Sora Masuka didn't think that at all. She was thinking about how their Zykra army could hurt them. She wanted to kill everyone on the ship and fly it back to the Protectorate.

  She never felt more at odds with herself than now.

  Zephyr was trustworthy enough now. But was she? Aboleth shook her head. As if it would send the traitorous thoughts away. Selene looked at her with such... Affection and trust.

  Aboleth slumped her shoulders tiredly. And continued walking down the hall.

  She'd give some orders through the psyphera, make sure forces are being produced on that red planet. Then check on the hive on Endelon 2, see if it is behaving itself. Then get a stiff drink and then decide what to do about this 'Sora' side of her.

  Behind the chapter!

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