“Roxanne, there is a difference between a partner, a collaborator, and a subordinate.”
Back at the resting nest arranged for them by the Gray-wing tribe, the Core Species, who had been mentally rehearsing his words all along the way, tried to choose an opening that wasn't quite so solemn.
It had to be said that after his eclosion, the male had indeed grown a size larger. It was no longer possible to scoop him up like a little kitten and hold him entirely tucked away in his arms; now, no matter how he held him, a part of the male would always poke out.
“The Short-wing tribe are my subordinates and clan members, so I protect them, but at the same time, I treat my own needs as the highest priority. When I assign them tasks, I usually put my own goals first.”
He brushed his hand over the other’s eyes, white eyelashes fluttering softly against Sakti’s palm.
“Because in our long time together, I have occupied the dominant position and held absolute decision-making power.”
“Meanwhile, Clark and Arthur are my collaborators. The Gray-wing leader’s status is higher than mine at this stage, and I possess abilities he requires. So, when he extends a hand in cooperation, we bargain and occasionally make concessions to each other.”
Gela’s tail was entwined with his. The male was the type who was both unskilled and yet loved to play; even though his tail hook was incredibly sensitive, he was the one who initiated the provocation every time.
Sakti was forced to catch that mischievous scaled tail, holding it in his hand to toy with it carefully, stroking it until the male began to shiver.
“But a partner is different from all of those.”
Golden-brown eyes gazed at the other. “I don't set a priority sequence for a partner, nor do I require him to put my needs above his own. Do you understand?”
“If the path you wish to take aligns with mine, then there is no problem. But if you have things you love more, I don’t need you to sacrifice your own life, ideals, or hobbies to push me forward.”
“I understand.”
Gela’s tail hook was still curled in the female’s palm. In a non-combat state, the Core Species’ body temperature was on the lower side, and the cool touch made him tremble.
“Your thoughts are sometimes different from most of the Zerg—our habits always prioritize the collective. It has been this way since the era of the Swarm Mother; every individual makes concessions for the continuation of the race, and we were even once accustomed to a shared collective consciousness.”
He couldn't help but kiss the side of the other’s neck, once and then again.
Sakti pinched that soft tail as a warning.
“But you believe that souls and consciousness are independent.”
Pale eyes looked at his partner as Gela stroked the other’s cheek.
“So I want to see the world through your eyes. I want to see what that world you once spoke of—where the ‘weak can also survive’—looks like.”
“It’s not entirely because I like my partner the very, very most.”
He emitted a soft hum, his voice carrying gentle emotions. “You brought Xiao and the males of those defeated tribes to my side. You took them under your wing and let us find work that belongs to us.”
“Before this, even a tribe as mild as the Short-wings rarely considered letting males become companions.”
“But the fact is, as long as I teach my subordinates, they can be just as capable as the former female administrators when handling clerical affairs within the Information Hive.”
“When I was on the raider ship, mired in despair, my only hope was to live or to die quickly. I was willing to do anything, even hatch countless eggs, as long as that unbearable pain wouldn't descend again.”
Gela almost didn't dare to look at his partner’s expression.
“We weren't breathing freely as living beings; we were suffering itself, a commodity with a predetermined status.”
Then, the male felt the other’s lips touch his eyes, then slide down slightly, finally pressing against his lips to exchange a long, lingering kiss.
Gela’s semi-alienated form was nearly triggered. Since his eclosion, the second pair of accessory eyes that had been well-hidden surfaced uncontrollably at the corners of his eyes, looking like a faint, reddish, damp tear track.
“You... you are the best in this world.”
He persisted in speaking even as he shook, going completely limp when the other’s fingers brushed over the breathing slits at his waist.
“It’s not... not because you are powerful, or because you once saved me. It’s because you yourself are the best one. You are... you are worth me overcoming instinct, overcoming nature, and overcoming everything else just to love you.”
“To me, this isn't a sacrifice. You want to try a brand new, difficult path, and I want to walk it with you.”
The Core Species held his "caterpillar." The male had truly been kissed until he cried.
The tail hook held in his palm was caressed over and over again. Basically, every time it was touched, the other would shudder, even the base of his wings trembling.
“This... this isn't right!”
The other emitted an uncontrollable, intermittent humming, finally unable to continue speaking. Instead, he was teased into making chirping sounds, even the scales on his slender tail turning red. “Ma... mating isn't like this.”
“Mating is very... very painful. It’s not this strange. You’re... you’re doing it wrong...”
“I’m doing it exactly right.”
Sakti laughed, finally letting go of the tail hook he had been kneading. The other retracted his tail with a *whoosh*, coiling it tightly behind him to escape the "evil clutches."
“What a bold little lecherous bug, daring to let me bully you before.”
“Do you hate it?”
The Core Species asked softly, patting Gela’s back. That pair of pearl-white insect wings was so soft they seemed to melt, drooping down to cover them both.
“No... I don't hate it.”
The male, finally catching his breath, was still shaken. He wanted to shrink into the safest place possible, yet the safest place happened to be his partner’s embrace.
“But I’m a little scared,” he said in a very, very small voice.
“Why are you scared?” Sakti asked with considerable patience.
“...Because it doesn't hurt.”
The male’s voice grew even smaller. His fingers curled and uncurled, hesitating as if timidly trying to pull at the other’s arm.
“It feels very strange when my tail is touched like that, but it doesn't hurt at all.”
The Core Species gave a low sigh.
“You’ve always thought this kind of thing was painful. But even so, that night when I rushed out of the nest, and when I just returned to Ja from Camlann, you still chose to court me?”
“I can endure it.”
The other’s emotions were a mottled mix, and Gela was a bit unsure, appearing lacking in confidence.
“I want to be your partner, so I’m not afraid of pain. I am very good at enduring.”
Sakti wrapped him entirely in his arms, very lightly stroking the other’s head. Then, his hand was caught by the little male, who turned his head to press his cheek against Sakti’s palm.
“It won't hurt,” he said.
“I will never hurt you, nor will I make you stay with me by enduring pain.”
The Core Species’ voice was very gentle, slowly speaking as if negotiating. “We’ll take it slow. I’ll teach you bit by bit later, alright?”
He was a "King of Urgency" in battle, but now he needed to find a basic Zerg physiology textbook to study carefully.
To be honest, his professional knowledge of the Zerg was all focused on how to split their skulls and disembowel them; he hadn't pondered this aspect yet.
However, the male’s past experiences had given Gela a significant misunderstanding of such matters. He had to self-study first before he could slowly figure out the correct way to soothe his partner.
Gela was always blunt when courting, but once he came to his senses, he would become shy again. He had already buried his head completely in the other’s chest.
Sakti felt the other nod against him, like a kitten nuzzling.
“As for the Great Information Hive...”
Turning the topic back to the original purpose of this conversation, the black Core Species slowly patted the other’s back, caressing those soft white wings.
“I won't stop you from trying, but you must ensure your own safety.”
The cause of the anomaly that happened last time still hadn't been cleared up. Although Gela seemed to have grasped some clue, Sakti wouldn't gamble on a bad possibility.
“Don't do dangerous things secretly on your own. Promise me?”
“Okay, I will be very, very careful.”
The other gave a muffled promise.
***
Thus, early the next morning, when Clark was preparing to tell his partner the news that the sub-King was driven mad with rage, the pitch-black Core Species pulled him aside first.
He looked rather suspicious and sneaky about it, too.
“I have something to ask you.”
Sakti specifically chose a perfect moment, asking while the male and the sub-adult brother guards weren't around.
The silver-gray Core Genetic Species raised an eyebrow at him, the expression on his face clearly displaying the sentiment: *You’d better be coming to me for something serious.*
“Does your Core Genetic tribe have any textbooks... for young grubs?”
After thinking it over, he felt he couldn't ask those hot-headed armed types. He wasn't very familiar with the other members of the Gray-wing tribe handling reception yet, so he could only ask Clark.
Then he saw his "plastic boss" back away two steps wordlessly, his entire being radiating the aloofness and distance of a high-ranking tribe.
“Do I look like a wishing tree to you?” Clark said with a smile.
“No, you look like you possess the greatest mind in the Gray-wing tribe.”
One of Sakti’s strengths was having skin thick enough to push his luck. Since the other’s attitude toward him had improved slightly due to the previous day’s victory, he dared to do a metaphorical tap dance right in front of his boss.
Clark couldn't be bothered to argue with him.
“Stop wasting time. For things like that, speak directly to the bug who arranged your resting nest. Go to him for any lifestyle needs.”
Understood. This was essentially a lifestyle assistant assigned to him.
“Now, come with the armed units. I need to speak with you all regarding the upcoming operations.”
As the silver-gray female turned around, his tail-whip silently traced a powerful arc.
Sakti thought it looked a bit familiar, and then he remembered that Kleiman’s movements were somewhat similar to this, but stiffer, often accompanied by a cracking sound—nowhere near as natural and graceful as the Gray-wing leader.
*Tail-flicking bro, you really are dedicated.*
Even the details were being imitated... how could a bug learn such details!
Previously, when Kleiman pressed him about the relationship between Arthur and Clark, Sakti had shut the honest fellow up with the excuse of "Your boss told me to keep it a secret," but the likelihood of him losing his head in the future had clearly increased by another notch.
“Krisha is half-dead with rage.”
In those light gray eyes was a cold mockery, though the high-ranking species’ expression didn't change much. “Losing seven border planets in a single day—even a sub-King would go insane.”
“He has pushed the defensive line forward by a large margin, preparing to give me a taste of my own medicine and make me bleed a little.”
“Then he’d better be prepared to have his teeth shattered.”
Sakti’s "indiscriminate roasting mode" always activated at moments like this. He gave a lazy snort. “He’s not thinking straight. He couldn't even beat you alone, and now he has to face both of us at once.”
“Is he planning to gain some divine power through some occult ritual? Otherwise, I really can't imagine how he expects to make you and me bleed.”
“Ah, as for that.”
Clark also gave a soft laugh. “He called upon the neighboring Broad-wing and Pedipalp tribes to join forces and settle scores with me.”
“I imagine he offered terms they were very happy to accept—perhaps usage rights to the Great Information Hive, or perhaps my head is simply too attractive to other tribes.”
“...”
Sakti fell silent for a moment.
Fine. This was just great.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 呼吸缝 | Breathing slits | Spiracles; biological openings for respiration in insectoids. |
| 阔翅种 | Broad-wing Species | One of the ten core genetic tribes. |
| 足肢种 | Pedipalp Species | One of the ten core genetic tribes; "Foot-limb" or "Arthropod-limb" species. |
| 塑料老板 | Plastic boss | A slang term for a superficial or unreliable boss/working relationship. |
| 尾鞭 | Tail-whip | Referring to the long, whip-like tail of high-ranking insectoids. |
