30. Seren in the City, Part One

Being surrounded by aliens was strange. I could see them, hear them and sense them, but not like I would if they were Hive. The way I register Hive and aliens is very different. with Hive, the knowing they are there, the awareness of them being present, is instinctive. Natural. it comes from inside, due to the telepathic link that connects every member of our species, The Vespid, to the Queen.

These aliens though... I couldn't sense them in the same manner as other Vespid. The vespid were internal, but these aliens, I had to keep the majority of my senses outward. it was difficult. I'm not yet used to being around strangers. Sight, sound, scent, touch, even taste. A Vespid inside a nest has no need for these senses. The Queen Mother sent me here as her ambassador because I was best at controlling my senses and my temper.

Still. Change is difficult. The rules are different for one. They don't like it when they larger races fly in the Senate halls. Smaller ones that can't do much more than hover are permitted to do so, provided they keep to a maximum height. The fact that the leading edge of a Vespid's upper wings are as sharp as a knife doesn't really help our case. We can and often do use this in combat against weak foes who are easily sliced to pieces. I can respect and understand their decisions, it would not look good if I were to accidentally injure someone mid-flight.

A knock on the door. I stretch my awareness and it was the human who called itself Palpatine. I allowed him in. Though something about him reminded me of the Queen, he seemed harmless enough, given my own ability with the force. I had expressed to Palpatine a sense of loneliness, and anxiety regarding crowds.

He recommended i get a pet, so I got a Bearded Jax, a feline like herbivore native to Endor and Naboos moon, Rori. I had found the species in a local pet shop, and made sure that the one I got was healthy and free of disease by taking it to a 'veterinarian' which appears to be a fancy word for what is essentially an animal doctor. This Veterinarian recommended i get an id chip implanted in Jax, which i did, as well as have her wear a brightly colored collar. Jax was small as far as her species goes, but still very healthy. Then he told me a surprise. She was expecting kits, two of them!

I allow Palpatine in, and Jax hisses at him. She didn't like this human. I rest a claw on her back and stroke her, this calms her almost instantly. it would not do for the kits health to be affected by undue stress on their mother.

"Human Palpatine, would you like some fizzy drink? A new flavor has arrived from our breweries on Home-world."

"Oh, I suppose a sip wouldn't hurt. Wait... is it safe for humans?" The human seemed eager, then hesitant, as if remembering just what it was speaking to.

"Yes, this particular version has less alcoholic content in it, and is thus deemed safe for widespread human consumption." Our people have a near perfect immunity to toxins, but alcohol is one of the few things that would in some cases be considered poison which we are still affected by. it takes either an insane amount of traditional non-Vespid alcohol to get us even slightly drunk.

"Here. This is a much diluted version of our Queen's Personal Reserve, made with only the most ripe, sweet and plump of the Great Tree's fruit ever make it into this reserve." As I tell the Human Palpatine about it, I pour a small amount into a clear clean glass. "She is very protective of her personal reserve, however she has had several bottles modified for human consumption as she recognizes the fact that various races have their own equivalent of 'royalty' or 'rulers' and that to get on their bad side would be unwise."

"This is very sweet, but not overly so, and has wonderful fragrance and a beautiful fruity flavor!"

"Indeed." I buzzed my wings just slightly, producing a low hum, indicating I was pleased with his reaction. We had shared drinks like this many times, so he knew most of what Vespid body language means, and I the humans body language. I got up to get some Vespid grade liquor for myself, leaving my lightsaber and lightshield on the table. I like this Palpatine, yet something about his force echo was off. He may be trying to hide his sensitivity to the force, or he may have simply been taught to resist the sensory arts of force users. or both.

My blade, as with the rest of Mother's Generals' blades and Mual's, all housed Phantom-Hive Kyber crystals. Any non Hive affiliated entity who attempted to use it would find themselves visited by the Queen and trapped in the Void. If such an entity is found to be of sufficient strength, they will be indoctrinated by Mother to serve the will of the Hive. I had altered my weapon from an axe into a blade, as it simply felt more natural to wield.

He picked it up and looked at it, seeming to admire the carving and decorations on the handle. The blue waves decorated the end of the handle near the emitter. these function as a guard, preventing other lightsabers from sliding down the blade and cutting the handle. The lightshield is for preventing blaster fire, as we wear them as a bracelet on our left wrist. Brother Hoden is the only one of us who wields two swords and two shields. Furen has thick chitin, so he is not affected by blaster fire. He wields his element in battle, using his fire to melt and incinerate droids and enemies soldiers. Solen's blades are short, clear and make no noise, as she is our sneak thief and assassin.

Palpatine saw me returning and put my blade down. we then shared drinks and stories into the early hours of the night.