Page 63 of Stripped By the Alien

I cross the chamber and stop beside him. For several seconds I watch the stars with him, trying to decide how to ask the question. Eventually I settle on the direct approach. "Are they afraid of her?"

His attention remains on the lens. "They respect her."

I study his profile for a moment. "That's not what I asked."

That finally earns me a glance. For a few seconds I suspect he'll avoid the subject entirely. Instead he folds his hands behind his back and returns his attention to the stars. "The Queen rules our Brood. She commands more war beasts than most civilizations possess ships. Her decisions determine whether worlds live or die."

I nod slowly. "That sounds very much like a yes."

A smile tugs at his mouth. "Anyone not deathly afraid of our Queen is not very bright."

I fold my arms and lean against one of the living supports that rises from the floor. Around us, crew members continue their work while pretending not to listen. "And she suddenly decides she wants to see you."

"It wasn’t sudden. She already told me once, but I chose to go to battle instead. This was the final warning. She wants to see me immediately."

I let out a breath. "That sounds worse."

He thinks about it. "The Queen is quite harmless if she immediately gets exactly what she wants. She can even be grateful. Well, gracious, perhaps." For the first time since I met Krix'vorr, I can see uncertainty around the edges of his confidence. It's faint, but it's there.

"Are you worried?" I ask so quietly nobody else can hear, and the translation flower follows suit.

One antenna twitches. "I didn't say that."

"But you are?"

His green eyes settle on me. For several moments he says nothing, and I find myself wondering whether I've pushed too far. Then he exhales. "I’m not meeting my Queen empty-handed. And yet, nobody can be sure what is enough for her."

Krix'vorr usually treats every obstacle as something that can be overcome through enough force, intelligence, or determination. Hearing him acknowledge uncertainty makes him seem more real and, annoyingly, more attractive.

I look away before he notices the direction of my thoughts. "So what happens when we get there?"

"I report to the Queen."

"And me?"

His gaze returns to me immediately. "You stay with me."

He says it without hesitation. For some reason that affects me more than all the strategic discussions we've had since leaving the wreckage. There isn't even a trace of doubt in his voice. As far as Krix'vorr is concerned, my place is beside him.

I study him for a moment. "You're very sure of that."

"A Chief Harrower is always sure."

My fingers tighten around my arms. "What if she orders something else?"

The question hangs between us while the Beast's pulse travels through the floor beneath our feet.

Krix'vorr doesn't answer right away. He thinks about it first, and somehow that worries me more than if he'd spoken immediately. When he finally replies, his voice has become lower. "Then we'll deal with it."

I search his face for reassurance and find something different: Determination.

He isn't promising that everything will work out. He's simply telling me that whatever happens, we'll face it.

I actually like that more than thoughtless optimism. We’re headed for potential trouble, and he knows I know that. He respects me enough to not hide it, but he has too much strength in him to admit he’ll be helpless if the queen decides something he doesn’t like. And I don’t think he’ll be helpless then. He’s too resourceful for that.

And so am I. He did say ‘we’.

For a few seconds neither of us speaks. The chamber continues moving around us while we remain standing there, surrounded by stars and living machinery.