“Hello, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Arthur Simmons.”
Facing the hand the young man extended, the white male insect paused slightly before stepping forward to shake it. He observed the youth before him with cautious curiosity; this was his first time truly standing face-to-face with a human.
“Hello, I am Ge La.”
Unlike anything he had seen in recordings, when a living, breathing human stood before him, Ge La couldn't help but glance at his partner, then back at the human, and then back at his partner again.
*So this is a human,* he thought silently.
the human’s aura was gentle, and his mental state was calm, lacking the intense, aggressive competitive drive characteristic of the Zerg.
Seeing that the male still looked somewhat pale and weak, Sa Kedi led him to a seat. The young man sat down opposite them. This was the first offline meeting between the human and the partner of the Energy Star’s administrator, and both parties were curious about each other.
Ge La was like a young hatchling, unable to stop himself from stealing glances at the guest, a sight that Sa Kedi found rather amusing.
“We set out tomorrow, so be prepared,” the black female said, turning his attention to the business at hand. He looked at Arthur. “Not many will be heading to the Gray-wing territory this time. Only you, me, my partner, and a pair of his guards. The Energy Star needs to maintain normal operations, so I won’t be taking all my subordinates. If needed later, they will be responsible for transporting the Star Core energy.”
“I understand.” The youth nodded and asked, “At this battleship’s speed, how long will it take us to arrive?”
“Half a small cycle.” Sa Kedi’s finger tapped the air, spreading out a cluster of navigation charts and organizing them into categories. “That is assuming we don’t avoid any danger zones and proceed at full speed. I’m in a bit of a hurry, so I’ll send you the detailed flight plan later. My partner received some intelligence yesterday; the Sub-King of the Gray-wings is losing his patience. No insect can tolerate such a provocation; a large-scale outbreak of combat is only a matter of time. Therefore, I intend to cut straight through the sectors where conflict is likely to occur and head directly for Clark’s habitat.”
They spent some time discussing the most pressing matters. Once the conversation shifted into a more casual tone, Ge La made his first attempt to speak with Arthur.
“Excuse me, are you and Clark friends?”
The youth looked at Sa Kedi with a hint of surprise.
The black Core-species simply waved a hand. “I haven’t explained the details to my partner yet. Besides, it’s better if you explain such things yourself.”
He then stood up, placing a hand on the shoulder of Ge La, who instinctively wanted to follow him. “I’m going to hold a comms meeting with Zhe Lin and the others. You can chat with Arthur for a bit.” He looked at Ge La warmly and patted his head. “Arthur is a good person, don’t worry. It’s a good chance for him to tell you about him and Clark.”
“Alright.” The male insect agreed, grabbing Sa Kedi’s hand to nuzzle it against his cheek before letting go.
Sa Kedi went to a separate cabin to attend to his duties. With the departure imminent, there were too many arrangements to make; he had only brought Ge La here today to get acquainted with their guest in advance.
When Ge La turned his gaze back to his conversation partner, he found the blue-eyed human staring at him intently. The gaze held no malice, only pure curiosity and a gentle warmth that made the male feel a bit shy. He truly had very little experience interacting with other species.
Even though his mental power allowed him to sense the friendliness of the person he was talking to, he wasn't quite sure what topics to bring up. Fortunately, Arthur was quite considerate.
“You and Sa seem to have a very good relationship.” The blue eyes crinkled slightly as if to break the awkward atmosphere. The youth chose a relaxed opening. “He often says you are a reliable companion. I heard you also manage the Information Nest of the Energy Star.”
“Really?” At the mention of Sa Kedi, the male subconsciously sat up straighter. His tail flicked behind him before he pressed it down.
This small movement elicited a kind laugh from Arthur. Ge La blushed, but he couldn't help asking more. “Does he mention me often during his travels?”
“He personally traded with me to purchase some ‘gifts.’” The youth blinked, an expression that was remarkably similar to how Clark had looked when they first met. “I believe you should have received those gifts by now.”
“I did. They are very beautiful,” the male said sincerely. “Thank you for your help.”
“No need for thanks. Sa helped me much more.” Arthur shook his head gently. “Let me explain my relationship with Clark. Your partner is quite... upright; he doesn't spread other people's private affairs as idle gossip. I am the one who should be expressing gratitude. If he hadn't been willing to take me along on the return trip, I would still be sitting on Kamlan waiting for a result that might never come.”
It had to be said that the male insect was an excellent listener. Unlike Sa Kedi, who listened to stories with an expressionless face while calculating how to extract intel, Ge La was more on the emotional side. His white wings and tail would relax one moment and tense the next, swaying in rhythm with the youth’s narrative.
Sa’s partner was completely different from what he had imagined, and different from how he had appeared during their first communication.
The youth slowed his voice, explaining things bit by bit and breaking down difficult terms. Fortunately, Arthur’s fluency in the Zerg Lingua Franca meant there were no stumbles in explaining the details.
The male listened with rapt attention, unconsciously leaning closer and closer, completely forgetting that the person before him was a genuine alien. If anything, the aura around the youth felt a bit like Sa Kedi and a bit like Clark; this strange atmosphere kept him from feeling nervous.
“So, Clark raised you.” Those pale eyes were wide. After completing his eclosion, his second pair of accessory eyes could now be well-hidden, making Ge La’s mimicry appear more mature. “You are both very impressive. He is also a very good insect,” he said from the heart.
Arthur smiled. “Don’t you think this is a kind of betrayal?” he asked seriously. “Most Zerg wouldn't be able to accept such a thing, would they?”
However, Ge La’s own choices in a partner involved much bigger issues. Having lived through the "tear-off-the-roof" philosophy of his own life, merely "opening a window" didn't seem that significant.
“Actually, I was a bit afraid of Clark when we first met,” the male admitted with some embarrassment. “He brought many Armed-species to Ja and completely surrounded Angon. My partner was heavily injured at the time, and when I went to his starship, I was so scared I could hardly breathe. Sa was very fierce when he confronted him; I was terrified they would start fighting. So, I was very shocked to learn that Clark would raise a human cub.”
“Perhaps you can sense it, but Sa also likes humans very much.” His white wings fluttered, and the small tip of his tail swayed lightly as Ge La tried his best to express his perspective. “He can speak the human language fluently and has no desire for conflict with humans. Knowing exactly what kind of insect he is, I still wished to become his partner, so I don't think this behavior is wrong. Compared to everything else, I would choose him without hesitation. Moreover, I don't understand the reasons behind the conflict between Clark and the Sub-King; I cannot simply point fingers and accuse him of betraying the race.”
“You are just as upright as your partner. You two are quite different from most Zerg I know,” the youth sighed softly, his expression tinged with a bit of loneliness. But he was skilled at managing the atmosphere of a conversation and didn't let the gloom linger for long, quickly pivoting the topic to a more lighthearted area. “Originally, I thought it was Sa who expressed interest in you, but after meeting you, my opinion has changed. Was it you who pursued him?”
“H-how did you know?” The male tried to suppress his embarrassment, but the way he turned red betrayed him.
Humans were so mysterious; they couldn't use mental power to probe at will, yet they could still guess such things.
“Maybe it’s intuition.” Arthur’s gaze was as soft and calm as lake water. “The way he first looked at you was very familiar to me—it was the look of someone taking care of a companion. For a while, I doubted my own judgment, but when I tentatively asked if he was preparing gifts for a partner, Sa didn't deny it, so I wasn't sure. But you...” He sighed softly. “You are different. Even during that first transmission, the way you looked at him held an admiration that no one could mistake. Your happiness was plain to see whenever your partner was mentioned. But this time, the atmosphere between you is different. Has Sa finally caught on?”
Looking at the male insect teasingly, watching him try to maintain his composure while his scales turned red, Arthur couldn't help but laugh.
“Could you please teach me how to change the fixed impression of a high-level Core-species? You are very impressive; I would like to ask you for some practical tips.”
Sa Kedi might be the hardest, most solid log when it came to emotions—impossible to split even with an axe, and very slow to warm up. But Ge La was different. Male insects were naturally more emotionally rich and sensitive, not to mention that Ge La’s mental power was preeminent among his kind, allowing him to sense the emotions of those around him faster than anyone.
He looked at the youth’s overly gentle smile, and his eyes slowly widened.
“You... you...”
He stammered for a long time without finishing his sentence, but his tail, standing straight up, clearly displayed his shock. This sudden, subtle, and massive discovery was about to make his sensitive mind collapse.
Thus, when Sa Kedi finished his meeting and returned to the living area, he saw the male insect and the youth sitting together at some point. They were huddled close, whispering to each other.
He could hear snippets like, “...need to let him know, make him understand that your mind can't be changed...” “...but it must be gentle, step-by-step, otherwise you'll scare him off...” “You need to be firm yourself...” and so on.
Sa Kedi: “???”
Before he left, Ge La had been shy and constrained, not knowing how to talk to the youth. Now that he was back, these two were practically glued together.
The Core-species couldn't help but cough. “It seems you two are getting along quite well.”
The two heads huddled together quickly pulled apart. Ge La’s face was full of the lingering desire to say more, while Arthur’s expression was filled with an unprecedented seriousness, as if he were studying some profound, mystical technique.
*No, you two look like you're plotting some kind of scam.*
Sa Kedi couldn't help but beckon to the male. “I need to go to the Energy Stone purification line again. Do you want to come with me to prepare for the trip? Or you can stay here and chat with Arthur some more.”
“Go ahead, we can continue talking later.” The youth tactfully made a "please" gesture, nodding slightly in thanks.
Ge La also nodded solemnly, then turned to his partner. “I’ll go with you. I need to arrange for Xiao and the others to share the workload of the Information Nest.” He happily took a few steps to Sa Kedi and took his partner’s hand.
The Core-species patted his head and bid Arthur goodbye again. “Fine, let’s finish the preparations early. We leave first thing tomorrow morning.”
As it turned out, preparations lasted until the middle of the night.
There were simply too many things to arrange. Not only was Sa Kedi held up by the Short-wings, Kai, and the technical insects of the Gray-wing tribe, but Ge La also had a pile of tricky situations.
He talked with Xiao for a long time, entrusting the affairs of the Information Nest to him, and then called over the two youngsters, En and Enna, informing them that they would be coming along on this trip.
For a moment, the Information Nest was filled with buzzing.
None of the insects wanted to part. A crowd of them surrounded Ge La, making it impossible to move. He had to comfort one after another, as if he had returned to the time when Sa Kedi first sent him seven subordinates at once. Finally, after nuzzling each of his companions for a long time, he managed to barely soothe them.
“Sa said he arranged for the Guard Corps to ensure the safety of the males. Don’t be afraid. If anything happens, you can find the Guard Corps or the Short-wing tribe,” Ge La instructed his subordinates and colleagues in a soft voice, holding several anxious males in his arms. “I will also continue to handle the urgent tasks you send over—the communication won't be cut. I have my own way of connecting to this Information Nest now.”
Because of the accident, Sa Kedi strictly forbade him from linking to the Great Information Nest again, but the authority he had already obtained would remain in effect. He no longer worried about losing contact with the Energy Star.
In the midst of the miserable atmosphere, the only happy ones were the brothers En and Enna. Because they were going on the trip, their tails were held high. However, when they realized Xiao wasn't coming with them, their tails dropped halfway, though they were still much better off than the other males.
Exhausted, the two insects returned to their nest and didn't want to move at all.
The white male lay on top of his partner, his scaled tail swaying lazily. Sa Kedi took a sip of water and fed some honey-dew to Ge La. The latter looked sluggish and unwilling to move; the fatigue of eclosion and the aftereffects of the abnormal link were all hitting him at once.
“Get some rest. The upcoming journey might be very tiring,” the Core-species comforted him gently, unable to resist stroking the male’s limp, tired wings.
The male seemed dazed with sleepiness. “Okay... have to see Arthur tomorrow,” he murmured incoherently.
Sa Kedi really couldn't help himself. “What did you two talk about today?”
He was very curious about how a human and a Zerg could develop common ground in such a short time. While holding the other, he picked up his water cup and took another sip; he had spoken so much during the day that his vocal organs felt like they were about to split.
“I was teaching him how to pursue a female.” Clearly, the male’s brain had stopped functioning—in short, he was stupid with sleep—but he still mumbled a quiet response to his partner.
“He likes Clark.”
“Just like I like you... the kind of liking where you want to mate with them.”
Sa Kedi spat out his water.
***
### Glossary
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
亚瑟·西蒙斯 | Arthur Simmons | A human character, friend of Clark.
卡姆兰 | Kamlan | A location/planet mentioned by Arthur.
瑟临 | Zhe Lin | A subordinate of Sa Kedi.
恩 | En | One of the young male insects under Ge La.
恩纳 | Enna | One of the young male insects under Ge La.
戍卫队 | Guard Corps | The security/defense force on the Energy Star.
交配 | Mate / Mating | Biological term for sexual reproduction, used bluntly by Ge La.
