To have a say in our own mating and control over our bodies is a gift for many who were bred against their will. Human queens respect males in a way we never knew before encountering your kind. I believe our traditions and human customs can find common ground if we all concentrate on respecting one another and seek out compromise rather than conflict. As warriors, our queens will always rule our hearts, but multiple queens in one clade will take patience and understanding if we are to live in harmony.”
Queen Pelop finally speaks up. “Well said, Borak. For as long as I am with your clade, I promise to go with the flow and not cause more conflict. I don’t want to see anything bad happen to you or any of the other males in our clade.”
I give this capricious little queen a warm smile. “We are truly blessed with kind, compassionate queens. With any luck we will have one more under our wing in the weeks to come.” I am weary and feel like Kryos with all the sermonizing. “If all is well, I will rest here where I sit, for it is more comfortable by far than my former chair.”
My clade members rise to take their leave and Queen Molly stays to pull the soft spread over my body. I know she does this for my comfort so I do not point out that my battle armor keeps my body at the proper temperature no matter the external environment. She gifts me with a human kiss on the top of my head and allows Eltran to draw her away.
My mind fills with ways to lure my precious queen to my side. Human queens like to be wooed. I watched Eltran call his queen to him with fresh plants and by indulging her interest in making sweets. We searched through the offerings of a multitude of alien traders to secure the numerous items she needed to pursue this particular interest. She openly accepted his company and gifts because he fitted them to her needs and desires. One cannot simply throw expensive ornaments at a queen and expect her to be grateful. Even an old warrior like me knows this much.
The problem is that I have no idea what my queen enjoys in the way of pleasing pastimes. I only know the warrior side of my lovely queen. Now I am challenged to discover all the other interests she has. It would be easy to ask her lovely daughter for information. But what would be the fun in that? Images float though my mind of us walking the halls of this battleship together, dining together and visiting the holographic map room. These images of us strolling arm in arm are the dreams I hope to turn into memories.
Excitement should be taking hold of my brain, for this is similar to planning a battle strategy, which I normally love. Unfortunately, I grow drowsy. It occurs to me to wonder why I am tired after sleeping for five cycles, but my instincts say either my body needs more time to find its equilibrium or they gave me something to keep me calm. I would normally be outraged at the thought of being medicated as part of their discharge strategy, but I find myself drifting off to sleep instead.
Old Fashioned Courting
Juliet
Alone in my small suite, I go through my clothing, separating out most of my military gear. It’s long overdue for me to stop acting like I’m still in charge of military shit. Right now, I’m no better than every other refugee on this ship. We’re all fleeing our dying world in hopes of embracing a better life on the Draconian home world. No matter what happens moving forward, I’m no longer attached to the military in any manner. The question is what to do with myself as a civilian.
Mathadar made it very clear to me that I can ask for an audience with Queen Cassandra when we reach Onello if I want to request a seat on their council. Having a chat with that woman is high on my list of things to do. I’m still stewing about the punishment they doled out to Borak. The whole situation is so damned unfair. Maybe vying for a seat on their council will enable me to make sure the old blood warriors get more fair and equitable treatment.
Then again, maybe it’s time to hang it all up and take up knitting. I snigger