She’d bumps and bruises enough getting in and Out of capsules and didn’t want to risk any more.
She was no sooner hidden than the door slid open and she `sensed’ her cousin Roddie. His mind was full of his duty and his concern for his charge. He’d ordered some specially succulent tropical fruits she’d shown a real interest in fruit until just recently: eating and saving pips and seeds. She wasn’t even doing that lately. He had to stimulate her appetite, somehow, someway. The xenobs and xenzoos were getting vehement about her lack of interest in the larvae. Those things could die from neglect just like the young of any species. If the Queen didn’t make a move to attend them soon, they’d have to be taken from her to join the programme. Two had made successful transitions to the next step in their life cycle . . Roddie only knew the fact not the reality of the transition.
Zara congratulated herself on being on time. She wasn’t too late.
She’d help the poor Queen. She’d save her. The sounds of scuffling continued.
`Right. The fruit first,’ and Zara followed Roddie’s mind as he delivered sweet-perfumed melons to the occupant of Heinlein Base.
`Bingo!’ he said.
His irreverent attitude towards important things had always raised dislike in his cousins and, despite having heard his mental ruminations, it roused Zara’s enmity. She followed his second `port.
Felt his confusion. `Hey, now, what’s that?’ `What’s what, Lieutenant?’ `I don’t quite know, Sergeant, but I think I should find out.’ Horrified, Zara took a deep breath and followed the direction of his last `port and slipped on the congealed juices of many ripe fruits, falling backwards and cracking her head against a larval sac.
For a long moment, Zara was stunned. And then she felt terribly cold: as if every fibre of her body was frozen. Zara paused, knowing perfectly well that the temperature of the base was kept at 32
degrees Celsius. Then she looked down at the motionless body of the Queen. It was a lot larger than Zara realized: taller than she was, though she wasn’t tall: short for a Lyon, in fact. Not for a Gwyn. Fleetingly she remembered Rojer telling her how much she resembled her grandmother.
Well, she did, and she was here for a purpose.
And she had part of the answer. 32 degrees Celsius was not warm enough for an egg-laying queen nor the eggs around here. Zara sensed terrible hunger, terrible weakness, fear of leaving a. task undone.
Solitude! Hunger! Cold! Strangeness everywhere.
Cold! Hunger!
Zara Raven-Lyon? What are you doing down there? She stared up at the Observation Module, aware she was dripping rancid fruit juice.
She’s cold! She’s bloody freezing to death! She’s frozen, that’s why she can’t eat. Turn up the temperature. Get more shavings down here to cover her and her eggs or you’re going to lose them all.
How under the seventy suns of the Alliance do you know that, Zara Lyon?
Hive minds are female. The Rowan and everyone else who heard the Hive Many Mind were female.
I’m female! She’s cold! Turn up the heat!
I’ve already turned it. And I’m turning you up here to face heat of another kind, young lady!
Zara felt him touch her, to `port her to the Module. She resisted, grinning.
Did you forget, Cousin Rhodri, that I’m T-i? You can’t lift me unless I want to come.
I suggest, said another voice with great authority and no humour, that you lift yourself into the Module immediately, Zara Gwyn-Lyon!
Grandmother Rowan, don’t make me until she’s warm enough to eat because she needs help and I’ll give it to her if no-one else will!
Why you cheeky little snip!
A male chuckle spared Zara from matching strengths with her grandmother. She’s come a long way to do this, Rowan, and it was her grandfather. Since she’s brave enough to be there, and may be correct in her diagnosis, let’s give her the chance to prove it. Otherwise, the experts are fearful we will lose the Queen.
Over the next two hours, Zara removed what she could to reach some comfort for herself in what became midsummer tropical heat. But the Queen began to move, began to eat, and Zara pushed more and more food close enough for her to grasp it with her palps.