Following the revetion it proved much easier to gain volunteers for the mission. In fact they had to reject Bokarza (who was too important to risk on such a dangerous effort as the queen of the Kobaroic Realms). Vivian too had to be told to stay behind (even though she’d been ready to volunteer from the start). The press would eat up the worried mle, even from a dashing butch, so the press staff refused to let her go. Plynx also had tue with them for her own inclusion, the various minders and advisors worried about the diplomatigle of having her go along while Bokarza was kept back. In the end it was O’trayj who mao vihem, pointing out that sending muardian units on the mission was their best hope for success.

  The Imperial Guard promised a stealthed strike ship and their most elite bat troops. Agent Lee likewise assembled a small number of his agents, including the tall woman who had horns again.

  All that was left was ving Vahr, Plynx nervously following Thisbe and the others into the room the Zumuult was being held ie their size and their belonging to the species that had ruled over the gaxy during an age of darkness... somehow they seemed harmless, awkwardly curled up to sit on a chair sized for a Lanthonean.

  “Vahr,” Thisbe said, taking the lead as the one who had talked to them the most (even if it wasn’t a huge amount). “We need a bit more help from you.”

  “What... what I offer?” Vahr replied.

  “We need whatever information you give us about where Svetna is being held,” Thisbe replied. “It might be a doomed effort, but we’re going to at least try a rescue mission.”

  Vahr responded with a slow nod. “I knew you would... uanding what you feel for her... I... I tell you what I know, but I would also like to ask if I could go with you? It is likely that I could be more help that way.”

  “That could be a trap,” Auguste whispered sharply over their suit internal radios.

  “No,” Thisbe said softly. “I don’t think so...”

  Stepping forward she held out a hand to Vahr. Looking somewhat uain, they offered their rge hand to her. For a moment she studied their pale grey skin, before looking up.

  “May I?”

  They nodded.

  The their finger, causing yelps of surprise from the others.

  “Is that safe?” Auguste asked.

  “I am uhat that ts as blood,” Plynx added, staring at the inky bess flowing from the small bite points.

  Withdrawing her fangs and wiping her lips Thisbe turo the others with a smile. “It’s supernatural. It doesn’t have to actually be blood. But...” she turned back to Vahr, “I read you properly now, and I believe you. Though I have to ask why you are so ready to betray your family and empire.”

  That caused Vahr’s cheeks to darken. “I... when you projected your feelings for Svetna I saw what love and passion truly were for the first time. I had never been shown anything like that before and k was something to be protected. It also left me with the hope that it could be possible to feel that again if I was there when you and her were reunited.”

  Their reply caused Thisbe to stammer, clearly embarrassed to learn her open feelings had had su effe someone.

  “Perhaps we-rescue-party should try some sort of the emotional magnification device for the mission,” Plynx said. “If it is possible.”

  “I have not heard of such a thing,” O’tmyil replied. “It also seems doubtful the effects would be s on most Zumuults. Vampires are not the first projeg empaths to enter their species... though they may be the most simir to Zumuults. Perhaps we think about the cept for future missions. For now, though, we shall stick to the pn with the be ing Vahr along.”

  Plynx he group then esc Vahr towards the smaller ship where the strikeforce was waiting. The Imperial Guard personnel initially protested the idea ing a Zumuult along, even a defector, but Plynx and O’tmyil were able to wear them down into accepting Thisbe’s word that Vahr could be trusted.

  All the same they were kept well away from the cockpit. In fact Plynx was barely able to get herself in there as the pilots fihe boot up process on the military grade ship. The only other person not part of the Imperial Guard in there was Agent Lee, I’phyl speaking with him.

  “This military vessel go signifitly faster than our previous voys were moving, but it will still take four days to get to Earth from here... it’s also a much bumpier ride,” the man expined.

  “We do not o go to Earth,” Agent Lee replied ftly.

  “... Then where is the M’tethon?” I’phyl asked, sounding rather ed.

  “Ms. Lefévre is somewhere in the Kazarok system. We have given her some leeway in her exact itinerary. As long as she was moving in parallel to the imperial family,” Agent Lee expined.

  “Th-the Kazarok System? That’s only fifty Earthling light years from here. You mean to say you allowed the M’tethon to get this close to a capital world?” I’phyl blurted.

  “We Earthlings have been living on the same p as her for a couple years now. Having her nearby is not a . I trust her and Ms. Atwell. As much as I trust any non-coworkers. This will be proven when we arrive,” Agent Lee replied.

  “I was also living oh for about a year and never found reason to be armed,” Plynx added. “The M’tethon-ender-of-worlds destroyed only a siy... and, from what I now uand of the situation, the previous empere of the Zuumults was involved in that destru.”

  “That is a logical interpretation of the avaible data, though I am not at liberty to firm nor deny its veracity,” Agent Lee replied.

  “... Very well. This will have to be reported to the Kobaroic assembly and the Gactic cil, but I will cease my protests for the time being,” the head guard muttered, before turning to the pilots. “Well, chart a course for Kazarok.”

  “Yes sir,” the trio replied.

  I’phyl then closed his eyes, fussing with a military grade switch bracelet attached to his uniform, the red light shifting to yellow.

  “Apologies. He’s always a bit high strung,” A’khaun said, the others a softer smile. “Good in a crisis, but eventually he gets burnt out.”

  “It is uandable,” Agent Lee replied, with that same odd intense calm he carried at all times.

  Plynx really had to wonder how much he could actually uand burnout.

  Auguste had been warhat military vessels did not glide through jump space with the same banced grace of civilian ones. Especially not to the level of ones meant to carry the imperial family. All the same, he hadn’t quite been prepared for the frequent and violent jostling that followed. Even with the ship’s iial dampeners he could feel his stomach doing somersaults, liquids apparently being harder for iial dampeo lock down than solids.

  Eventually he decided to give up to move about in the vessel and found a seat to strap himself down.

  Despite himself he ended up praying that the jump would be retively short, though he wasn’t actually certain who he raying to... God or Qwa. Did either have domain in jump space this far from Earth or Qwa’s world?

  Thankfully finally dropping out of jump space provided a relief that also distracted him from any theological questions. Especially as it was followed by that horned redheaded proag him with instrus that he was to be a member of the party sent to retrieve the M’tethon. He had no idea why, but it arently a request of Agent Lee’s. The man was bizarre, but he was effit, so Auguste obeyed.

  Thisbe and O’tmyil were waiting alongside Agehough that wasn’t much of a surprise. They’d both apparently known about this ‘M’tethon’ beforehand. Whatever it was, exactly.

  “Ahirty minutes or so until we reach the space station where it’s waiting,” Thisbe said.

  “Twenty nine minutes aeen seds... fifteen seds noologies,” Agent Lee said.

  “Thirty minutes?” Auguste muttered, w if he should have stayed in his chair a while lohough, there was another option that would take advantage of the moment of stability they were enjoying. “I will be right back.”

  No one could bme him for a quick run to a toilet, after all.

  Though it took him a while to find it. The ship’s signage was trilingual, but those nguages were Lanthonean, Kobaroid Issiod’rian. He could reise the writing systems of each at this stage. Lanthonean was logographic, Kobaroic sylbid Issiod’rian an abjad... none of which helped him when he didn’t know the word for ‘toilet’ in any of those nguages yet.

  The illustrative symbol for a toilet was also rather different from the terrestrial one, f him to eventually ask and be poio a room with a red triangle on it taining was, now that he’d hard it pointed out to him, a representation of a downward view of a toilet seat.

  By the time he’d mahat misadventure aurhere were only five minutes left until dog and he felt rather embarrassed. It was not very befitting the tensions of Svetna and Houyu being kidnapped nor the fact they were headed to meet up with an a and powerful being.

  While they waited, A'khaun came over to wait alongside them.

  “Dog initiated,” a voinounced in Lanthonean, that being something he’d actually picked up at this point, having heard it so many times.

  The door slid open a moment ter, revealing a dog tube rather simir to an airport loading ramp. Heading up through it they soon reached a rger waiting and loading area. There was a small party already waiting for them, one member rushing forward with outstretched arms.

  “Dad!” the child yelled, doing their best attempt to tackle Agent Lee.

  “Hello, beloved child,” Agent Lee replied, with no more emotion than he used for anything else. “Have you been enjoying your time with Ms. Atweel and Ms. Lefévre?”

  “It’s bee!” the kid said with a grin.

  “Though we both wish we saw more of you, dear,” a man about Agent Lee’s age said, looking far more casual than Auguste had ever guessed the man’s husband to look.

  “Apologies,” Agent Lee replied.

  “I suppose this means I actually have to hold up my end of the bargain then?” a woman wearing thick bck sungsses said, strolling over with an odd lighto her. To say nothing of how bizarre her voice was, sounding as if a half dozen people were speaking in perfeison in pce of a single human voice. “So much for just getting a free vacation t the gaxy.”

  Another woman with dyed red hair was following close behind her, looking slightly overwhelmed by all this.

  “Yes. Unfortunately,” Agent Lee replied.

  “ I e along too, dad?” his child asked.

  “You ck the training, experience, and necessary security clearance,” Agent Lee said simply. “As such it would be a poor use of resources to include you.”

  “Darn it... ime,” the kid muttered.

  “Perhaps, Random. Perhaps,” Agent Lee replied with a nod.

  “Excuse me,” A’khaun said, crossing his arms. “But do you mean to say that this woman is the M’tethon?”

  Auguste was also rather curious, having only guessed it might be her due to how the other woman was even more normal. Well, that and Agent Lee saying his child couldn’t e along, which had ruled out the ohought that had briefly crossed Auguste’s mind. He definitely could have see Lee adopting a powerful aliey.

  “Is the voiot enough?” the woman asked, turning to her panion. “You’ve always said the voice is enough.”

  “I would think it’s enough,” her panion replied.

  “I do more,” the woman who arently the M’tethon said, removing her suo show glowing red eyes. The glow quickly spread from her eyes to be a rippling reddish energy dang all about her body as she drifted perhaps 15cm from the ground. Somehow it felt like gravity (or, rather, the station’s artificial gravity) was affeg everyone else less as well. “Should I also destroy something, or is this enough?”

  “Th--that’s enough,” A’khaun muttered, having taken a half step ba response.

  “Good, good... now, O’tmyil! It’s good to see you again! We’re starting to have an actual friendship, I think.”

  “It... it is good to see that you are still in rge part Ms. Lefévre,” O’tmyil replied simply, seeming slightly nervous herself.

  “And Ms. Campbell. I hope they’re feeding you well out here.”

  “Well enough,” Thisbe replied.

  The woman (if that was still an appropriate word for the being before them) then turo Auguste, looking him over. “Salut.”

  “S--Salut,” Auguste replied, finding that the being’s voice sounded even more uling in French. Perhaps just due to it being his first nguage.

  “It’s been so long since I’ve had someoo speak French with... I shall overlook the fact you are Parisian. Now, e, we have a trip ahead!” she (it?) decred, grabbing Auguste by the upper arm and dragging him bato the ship.

  Thankfully the M’tethon wasn’t using much force, dragging him slowly enough to see that the other woman who had been with it was also b while Lee’s family were staying behind. Though it was a bit tricky to follow any of the discussion with the M’tethon talking his ear off in French. Specifically with a rather Breton at that may have been even more proo using ‘celle’ and ‘celui’ in pce of ‘elle’ and ‘il’ than most Bretons.

  Worse, it seemed like the M’tethon had picked up some Acadianisms that were even less prehensible than Quebecois.

  With Auguste currently taken hostage by Garcelle, Thisbe found herself showing the entity’s girlfriend Tessa Atwell around the Imperial Guard ship. It robable that she’d be gd to have another human face to talk to, even if Thisbe’s vampirism slightly pushed the boundaries of human.

  There was not much to see on the ship, though. It was about as spartan as a submarihough slightly more spacious to fit ser species.

  “It’s really quite unpleasant once we hop to jump space... I am not looking forward to the fact we will be going for at least two days. Just getting here was bad enough,” Thisbe expined as they walked.

  “Hopefully they have anti-seasiess medication or something,” Tessa said. “They seem to have these sorts of things worked out pretty well.”

  Thisbe nodded, hoping both that Tessa was right and that the medication would work on a vampire if it existed. Not wanting to dwell on those worries too much, she led Tessa into the cramped dining area, where Vahr was currently curled up in a er, reading something on a tablet. They looked up as the troached and stopped to stare at Tessa. For her part, Tessa had frozen upon seeing Vahr, her breathing growing shallower.

  That seemed like a learned fear response, not simply a respoo their rge size and predator features.

  Releasing as much calming energy as she good, Thisbe offered Tessa a smile. “It’s alright. They’ve defected.”

  “They’re... they’re one of...” Tessa mumbled.

  “We are frightening. It is uandable,” Vahr replied softly, but tio study her. “Though... there is something about your energies... something very Zumuult.”

  “Uh...” Tessa said, stepping behind Thisbe for prote. “I... Garcelle maybe used some, shall we say, extra molecules from its eo un-disie me? B-but I didn’t have any say in it!”

  Vahr merely nodded. “That is simir to how our young are born... if I uand correctly who you are talking about, from my point of view that would make us retives. Which would signifitly improve my family’s average.”

  “Rel--I really don’t know how I feel about that idea,” Tessa replied.

  “I’m also ed about what that means for how Zumuults have kids,” Thisbe said.

  “That would make two of us...” Vahr muttered, shaking their head. “I think it is best to pare it to mitosis. The empere keeps one of their siblings on hand to provide heirs as very few emperes have ever beeo ending their n to produce successors... we siblings have no power or prestige ourselves, though.”

  “That... that sounds deeply messed up,” Tessa said.

  “Indeed,” Thisbe added.

  Before the versation could go any further Garcelle burst into the room, tag Tessa to hug her. It dramatically decred how much it had missed her, despite no more than thirty minutes having passed.

  Clearly the pair had a very affeate retionship, even if Tessa looked mildly overwhelmed.

  Meanwhile Thisbe noticed Vahr looking on with awe... and envy. She could easily read that much after having tasted their blood.

  Spending time in an alien dungeon was not something Svetna would ever reend. Especially not a Zumuult o least they kept the designs minimalistiough to only have about 50% of the ‘evil’ vibes that their other architecture had. But it was still an unpleasant experience, sitting in a windowless b, the majority of the light ing from the red glow of the cell’s ser beam bars.

  The fact she was starting to get m siess was only making the whole thing worse, the empere having apparently decided that was something not worth treating in a prisoner. At least she had the gender euphoria it gave her to help soften how unpleasant it was.

  She’d decided to try meditation as a way to pass the time for the first while, but she was never any good at that. Trying to run through some exercises also didn’t go great. There wasn’t much space, she didn’t get that much food to burra calories (especially as she was starving with the twins growing away inside her) and... well, she wasn’t all that fond of exerg for its own sake. It was O’tmyil who’d gotten her in shape.

  Also, dang did she miss O’tmyil. It felt so empty to not have their bond dang against her sense of self, their emotions intermixing at points. Before she’d bonded she might have found the idea a little spooky, but after so many months it had simply grht.

  As she spent another prolonged period pouting the door slid open, Ouzzhen strolling in.

  “I’ve got some good news, little empress,” they said, grinning as they so liked to do.

  “Oh yeah?” Svetna muttered, gring up at them.

  How long had she been down here? Without any windows it was impossible to say... though even with sunlight she wouldn’t have known. The length of days varied wildly on different ps after all.

  “We’ve brought you some pany... isn’t that right, replicoid?” Ouzzhen asked over their shoulder and out the door.

  “Yeah,” a somewhat familiar voice said.

  A moment ter Svetna watched as her android duplicate ehe room, pushing a h crib along. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen herself from the outside, but she felt rather more threatened by this duplicate. The ser bars parted to allow the crib to slide in, though both Ouzzhen and the duplicate stood outside of the cell itself.

  Rushing over, she saw Houyu sitting in the crib. The baby looked bad forth betweena and the duplicate with fusion before then scooting over to Svetna. That was a world of relief.

  “They’ll bring you everything Houyu needs,” the duplicate said, “don’t worry.”

  Frustratingly its voice sounded kind ale, as if it genuinely cared about her baby.

  “Having the royal baby get sick would be terproductive,” Ouzzhen said with a shrug, before leaning over to he h crib fully into the cell.

  The ser bars fully re-ehe crib made the small cell even more crowded, but Svetna was too focused on scooping up Houyu and holding them o care.

  “If they need anything else...” the duplicate began to say when Ouzzhen turo them.

  Stretg out one of their rge hands they then traced the side of the replicoid’s face with one finger. “You o stop w, little bot... and follow me to get your reward.”

  Was that a moment of hesitationa saw in her double’s eyes? Or was it just wishful thinking?

  “Yes. Yes of course,” it said, following Ouzzhen out of the room.