Legion Of The Damned - 06 - For Those Who Fell Read Online Free Page B

surrounded the hive mother. Her body, which had once been of average size, had grown steadily over the last year until it was so huge that it required the support of a specially designed cradle. Though swathed in colorful silk and tended by dozens of retainers, Orno knew that the Queen felt like a prisoner. Something that made her cranky, unpredictable, and therefore dangerous.
    The diplomat’s sense of smell was centered on the twoshort antennae that sprouted from his upper forehead. The rich pungent odor of recently laid eggs triggered the release of certain chemicals into his bloodstream causing the functionary to feel protective, receptive, and subservient, reactions that 98 percent of the race felt in the presence of their Queen. That made it difficult for subjects to lie to her, but it also limited the amount of objective advice the monarch received, something she had a tendency to forget at times.
    Though trapped within her factory-like body, and confined to the eggery, the Queen missed very little of what went on around her. She watched, via one of the monitors arrayed in front of her, Orno shuffle up onto the platform. He paused to speak with one of her functionaries, and that was sufficient to summon her wrath. “Well, Ambassador Orno . . . Did you come here to speak with me? Or to exchange gossip with my staff?” The Queen’s voice was electronically amplified and boomed throughout the enormous bombproof chamber.
    Orno, who had paused to find out what sort of mood the monarch was in, had his answer. Not wanting to annoy her further, the diplomat hurried toward the other end of the Queen’s enormous body, and turned to face her. He bent a knee. “I come to see you, Majesty. May I inquire as to your health?”
    â€œThe egg factory is running at full tilt, if that’s what you mean,” the royal answered irritably. “Now, what news do you bring me?”
    Like all his kind, Orno had two short antennae, compound eyes, and a parrotlike beak. A pair of seldom-used wings were folded along his back but hidden by the loose-fitting scarlet robe that hung nearly to the floor. He bowed by way of apology, then looked up again. The single aspect of the Queen’s physiology that hadn’t grown any larger was her head. It looked tiny by comparison with the rest of her grossly distended body, but he harbored no doubts regardingthe strength of the mind that lurked within. As always the diplomat chose his words with care. One aspect of his mission had met with success. It seemed best to begin with that. “I’m pleased to announce that negotiations with the Drac Axis were successful. They have agreed to join their forces with ours.”
    The Queen rotated her head slightly. “Excellent. I’m glad to hear it. What about the question of command?”
    The Dracs had been understandably reluctant to place their forces under Ramanthian command, but had finally agreed, conditional on representation at theater-level command conferences. Ramanthian officers would hate the requirement but be forced to accept if they wanted to add some five hundred heavily armed warships to the force already at their disposal. “We retain command,” Orno replied, “but they have the right to monitor the decision-making process. They fear some of our officers might spend Drac lives too freely otherwise.”
    The Queen offered the Ramanthian equivalent of a grimace. “Unfortunate but understandable. Well done. I know the Hudathans stand against us—but what of the Clone Hegemony?”
    That was the question that Orno had been dreading. He steeled himself against what might be an extremely negative response. “In spite of the fact that they have worked closely with us in the past, the Clones have grown closer to what they refer to as ‘the free breeders’ over the last year or so and are presently unwilling to ally themselves with us.”
    The Queen’s