When the Chela Seed and the Flash-Pattern Seed sent their invitation for a meeting, Sa Kedi was enjoying some much-needed leisure time in the nest before sleep.
What used to be an unshakeable routine of eating and hibernating had now become a luxury. He had to exert a great deal of effort just to squeeze out a bit of time to attend to his physiological needs.
Originally, he had intended to further revise his partner’s management regulations for the Energy Star, but Gela had pulled him into the nest without a word.
"Rest first," the male said, firmly pressing down on the uncooperative Core Seed and gently pushing him onto his back. "You aren't a machine. You should sleep for a while, then eat something."
When their previous conversation had ended, Clark hadn't given any explicit indication of his thoughts. He hadn't made any snide remarks, nor had he thrown the document back in the face of the overambitious male.
"Impressive, Roxanne."
The silver-grey female had looked over quietly. Having stepped out of his combat state, the Sub-King projected a sense of profound calm. Even after rapidly scanning the document, he remained steady and composed. "But it is not enough."
"I can see your effort and your inexperience; you are learning to do things you have never done before. However, in the real world, you should not expose such greenness before a negotiator."
On this matter, he had automatically aligned himself with Sa Kedi, both occupying the side that held the power to decide whether to cede authority.
"You must first grant yourself equal value before it is possible to enter the game, using chips the opponent finds difficult to refuse as your bargaining chips. But from the moment our dialogue began, you were already faltering."
"I can even see the traces of different individuals' edits on this finished product. The parts you supplemented are too distinct—just as I, and most members of the Core Gene lineages, would not care if members of defeated tribes were sold as commodities, only those in a position of weakness can truly empathize with other weaklings."
Taking back the sleeping larva, the Sub-King lifted the little one along with the blanket.
"Exposing your true objective too early will infinitely increase the difficulty of the negotiation, for I already know all your goals and your chips."
"Sa has had many similar conversations with me. Every time, he eventually obtained what he craved, and he was never afraid of me seeing through his desires—because before that, he had already laid out enough interests and benefits before me, shamelessly presenting me and all those in power with an attractive condition that was very difficult for us to refuse."
A hint of tenderness touched those grey eyes. Lately, the aggressive edge Clark usually carried had been gradually subsiding.
"And it will be harder for you than for any other. Because you come from a place of having nothing, yet you seek to claim a share of the spoils from my hand."
"I understand."
The white insect was not angry. His temperament was gentler than most females, and he generally didn't resort to headstrong tactics.
"Before that, please allow me to draft a proposal for the arrangement of the remaining males and larvae of the Pedipalp Seed. I have sufficient experience in this matter, and I will not trigger resistance or panic among the survivors. I am more suited to handle these affairs than most females."
"Now you are beginning to master the art of conversation," the silver-grey female chuckled softly, standing up while cradling the larva. "You will be an excellent student, and a very clever doer."
"Don't be discouraged."
Back in the nest, the Core Seed’s voice was low as he slowly stroked those pearl-white wings. "Clark’s words didn't mean a rejection. In a sense, he was teaching you how to step into true power."
"I know."
The male leaned beside him, taking his partner's hand and lightly sniffing the familiar pheromones. "I once saw him veto your proposals time and again—whether it was venturing into energy mineral extraction, establishing an energy stone production chain, or even advancing Ja’s military strength. It all went through many tugs-of-war. Yet, in the end, you achieved it all."
"Many things cannot succeed on the first try. I need to first convince myself of the necessity of a thing before I can make others believe in me. If there is hesitation or fear within my body, you all can easily read that emotion."
"Sleep first."
Now it was Sa Kedi’s turn to reiterate the necessity of sleep. He pulled his partner closer, resting his head against the other’s shoulder blade. "When we wake up, we’ll talk about those management regulations. You can listen to the suggestions I have from my perspective."
Gela was very fond of the hairband Sa Kedi had made. Every time he cleaned himself, he would very carefully untangle it and then braid it back exactly as it was. When Sa Kedi’s jaw rested against the side of the male’s neck, a slight turn of his head would bring his lips to that thin braid.
For instance, right now, he could feel the presence of the tiny crystal beads.
Gela laughed and caught the other’s hand, pressing it gently against his own body. "Just sleeping?"
The male asked softly. He sensed that Sa Kedi still carried the foul aftertaste of the mass deaths, which would stain even his dreams with an unpleasant aura.
He didn't want his partner to see smoke and charred remains in his sleep, just as Sa Kedi had worried he would be discouraged by the rejection and had spoken up to comfort him.
"I’m completely rested. I can do something else for a little while before sleep to make you a bit happier."
Here it was!
That long-awaited, dangerous atmosphere.
The rogue, who had successfully leveled up and would no longer lose his composure, thought seriously for a moment and finally made a shameless request.
"Can I see your xenomorphic form again?"
When they had first returned, he had been so consumed by anxiety while holding his unconscious partner that he couldn't close his eyes for a second. He’d had no mental energy to think of anything else, nor the time to care whether the white male in his xenomorphic state was clothed.
"Mm."
After a brief hesitation, Gela finally curled up into the blankets.
Accompanied by rustling sounds, the extra clothes and the hairband were carefully removed and pushed to the other side of the nest.
Then, Sa Kedi touched delicate scales.
"Don't stare at me," the other whispered, refusing to crawl out from under the blanket as if he still harbored a degree of bashfulness regarding his most primal form.
However, the black Core Seed was far too wicked. Since the other wouldn't show his head, he simply used his hands to explore.
The body, so different from a human's, began to tremble. The hand fanning the flames touched along the waist and abdomen bit by bit, causing the slender scaled tail and the drooping white wings to quiver.
"I want to see your xenomorphosis too," the male whispered, all four of his eyes sparkling.
His partner always seemed to associate his own primal form with negative things, like slaughter and conflict, as if every transformation was due to a life-threatening emergency. Thus, Sa Kedi rejected it—rejected all features that separated him from humanity, and would never display this form for any reason other than intimidation.
But that was too exhausting.
Gela hoped the other could find self-acceptance, to have a safe place where he could unreservedly accept and manifest all his traits.
The soft, slender tail wrapped several times around the powerful black whip-tail. Gela pulled the other into the blanket with him.
"Show me. You look good no matter what you look like."
The words were embarrassing, but he insisted on saying them.
"So strong, and the scales are so shiny. I really, really like it! Ah—"
That final exclamation was so nervous it ended on a forced, rising pitch.
There was no worse wooden acting in the entire universe. Even an AI’s poetry recital would sound more like natural speech.
AI could never replace living beings, because they simply couldn't pull off such an absurd performance.
The Core Seed nearly burst out laughing under the covers.
One second he was thinking, *'Both of us in xenomorphic form, this is getting pretty wild,'* and the next he was holding his breath until his chest ached.
Sa Kedi wanted to see what other earth-shattering things the other could say, so he desperately maintained his silence. As a result, Gela, whose reading ability had not yet recovered, seemed at a loss by the atmosphere. After a moment of hesitation, he began to speak faster and faster.
"Really, whether it's the lines of the tail or the luster of the scales, it's absolutely the most beautiful I've ever seen!"
Most praises between Zerg followed this pattern; they focused more on the parts that proved strength and health.
"Your xenomorphic form is very powerful. I like being held tightly by you, and I like having our tails intertwined."
His voice grew smaller and smaller until the white insect sounded like he was buzzing.
"I imagine being held in your arms, unable to resist. Your arms grip me tightly, and then you part my... my..."
The black female cut off his speech right then and there.
The whip-tail instantly coiled around that solitary little tail trying to flee, not even sparing the tail-hook. Two pairs of wings were fully released, and the obstructive blanket was tossed aside, replaced by insect wings that wrapped the male in an airtight cocoon.
Four golden vertical pupils locked onto the bewildered insect beneath him.
The Core Seed took on a predatory stance. Sharp claws replaced gentle fingers, circling the prey tightly and cutting off all avenues of escape.
Yet the audacious instigator persisted in his provocation. The white albino in his xenomorphic state recklessly reached out his arms, pulling his partner with the beautiful eyes into his embrace, kissing those black scales that were temporarily dormant and had retracted their sharp edges. The tightly coiled tail could not break free from its bonds and could only submissively open its body.
Like an innocent pinned to a rack of suffering, he was being bullied while simultaneously forgiving the villain who bullied him.
"Is it okay?" Sa Kedi asked. He at least remembered that his partner was too young and often did things like lighting a fire only to suddenly get scared and want to run.
"Come on," Gela murmured in a barely audible whisper, resting his head against the other’s chest. He listened carefully to that steady, powerful heartbeat, which was slightly faster than usual. "I want to be with you."
In the end, before Sa Kedi could make any response, his information linker exploded with an incoming communication.
The Core Seed, who had been trying to cultivate his character, couldn't help but curse on the spot. He cut the internal line immediately, refusing to answer.
He was off the clock. It was only reasonable not to reply to work messages after hours.
However, as if acting in direct opposition to him, the information linker began to shriek piercingly again after only a few seconds of silence—and this time, Gela’s rang as well.
Clearly, the person sending the communication was so afraid of not finding Sa Kedi that they had placed a call to Sa Kedi’s partner as well.
Such a headstrong, merciless approach was truly the kind of thing that deserved a bolt of lightning from the heavens.
Scrambling out of the nest, the black female began to throw on his coat, rapidly de-manifesting his xenomorphic state before wrapping Gela in a pile of blankets.
"I’m going to twist his head off."
When he saw the name "Kleiman," Sa Kedi’s fury nearly reached its peak.
Instant karma.
He used to love controlling the audience's emotions at the Great Sacrificial Grounds; now, the Armored Seed leader was responsible for controlling his emotions every time.
"Sa, the Flash-Pattern Seed and the Chela Seed have initiated a formal request for a meeting. You had better come to the Meeting Nest immediately."
As soon as the call connected, that cold face appeared before him, possessing a bluntness that disregarded the well-being of others.
The tail-swishing brother on duty was meticulous, even his tactical belt was properly buckled.
"Clark said you can bring Gela along."
Sa Kedi finally understood.
Truly clever insects would never touch this nerve; only someone as headstrong as Kleiman would charge straight into the line of fire at the first opportunity.
"Fine," he replied with a smile.
That teeth-gritting laughter caused the Armored Seed’s slightly swaying tail to freeze for a moment, before the scales began to stand up one by one.
"Tell him to wait. I’m coming over now."
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
鳌种 | Chela Seed | A Zerg subspecies; "Chela" refers to the pincer-like claw of a crustacean.
闪纹种 | Flash-Pattern Seed | A Zerg subspecies characterized by flickering or flashing patterns.
异化形态 | Xenomorphic form | A more primal, insectoid, or monstrous state the Zerg can shift into.
克里曼 | Kleiman | The leader/representative of the Armored Seed (武装种).
会议巢穴 | Meeting Nest | A designated location for formal discussions and diplomatic gatherings.
