These nightmares were different from the others. They were smarter, but with that intelligence came a cruelty that few other kinds of creature could match.

  Keshel lay on the ground, the air knocked out of him, the edges of his vision darkening to a horrible extent. He stared up in horror at the twisted creature above him, taking in the six twisted limbs and ebony smoke. It seemed to grin down at him, its eyes pits of white like scratches in the blackness.

  It just… watched him, staring into his fearful eyes, slowly leaning closer, his legs pinned beneath it…

  ~I’m sorry, I caused that pain, didn’t I? I’m sorry… let me help, please?~

  Keshel sent confirmation quickly, ~Yes, yes! A thousand times yes!~

  Keshel gasped as the wraith-like creature paused, staring at him. The black mist faded somewhat into gray, then it lightened until it was nearly white. The creature suddenly didn’t seem as strange, its six limbs were more sure, and its movements were clearer. It was insectile, but it had two large protrusions on the top of its head that reminded Keshel of ears. It seemed smaller, less predatory.

  It examined him for a moment and then blinked, backing up off of him. After a moment, it shook itself and ran off.

  Keshel watched it go, his heartbeat finally slowing down. He let out a long breath and lay backwards, breathing heavily. What in the stars? At this point, he wasn’t going to question it though, things like this just… happened, he supposed.

  Keshel stood up slowly, examining the hall he’d been running through. He was getting really tired of not knowing where he was, just running in general, and, well, everything. He sighed and walked onward, already knowing that he’d lost the others quite a while ago.

  He peeked into a room and paused, frowning at the enormity of the circular area. As he drew nearer, a voice spoke up, it was the one who’d spoken before the demons appeared, darker, not as powerful as the one who’d saved him, but still somehow more… complete. It didn’t sound much different, but Keshel got the sense they were separate somehow.

  ~Don’t go in there.~

  Keshel paused, examining the pattern on the floor. It looked like a map depicting a huge chain of islands and it was detailed enough that Keshel almost expected miniature mountains to be rising out of the floor. Elevated above the rest of the room, there were several grand chairs, almost thrones really. Each one was level with the others and they were all on top of an almost stagelike structure.

  ~Why not?~ Keshel asked, peering at the paintings that lined the walls of important looking suiki with enormous antennae.

  The voice sent annoyance, ~Because.~

  Keshel frowned and stepped into the room.

  The voice returned after a long moment of silence. It was still the other one; there was no sign of the one who had asked for his pain. Keshel had a feeling he liked the first one better. ~Ignore the memories. Just leave.~

  ~How do we leave?~ Keshel asked, curious if the voice would even be helpful for what it asked for. He continued into the grand room, aiming for the center.

  ~Disavow Teisel, leave the city to fall.~

  Keshel glanced back at the door, wondering again where his companions were. He didn’t like the idea of doing what this voice wanted, een if it would get him out of here. He wanted to help, he couldn’t just leave. ~We’d have to think about that more.~ He said evasively. ~Who are you?~

  The voice adopted a venom to it, ~The true heir of the alanerea, the child of our last queen… the only one with the authority to command the entire hive. And yet they took it away from me, they killed my mother.~

  Keshel hesitated—he hadn’t realized that there had ever been one person in charge of the hivemind. He was pretty sure that alanerea was a way of saying suiki, and well… in the end, it was better to not have a single tyrant, right? That was why Karbion had tried so hard to keep the defect away. ~How are you still alive?~

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  Keshel made it to the center of the room, looking down at the map below him and then up at the domed ceiling. He wondered why they had built it this way, the rest of the ship had been turned sideways. Had they turned the entire room to fit its new alignment?

  The voice sent anger, ~Perhaps, if you were paying any attention to what actually matters you’d know that answer.~

  Keshel felt his mouth form into an O, but before he could respond, something that felt like another memory was thrown at him. Except… it was stronger now.

  -

  Keshel blinked slowly as the scene formed in front of him—it was in this very room in fact. He hadn’t moved. He turned about the area, finally seeing a young woman in a chair crying in front of five imposing figures that sat in the grand thrones. They watched her, calm, collected.

  Cripple. Freak. Disappointment. Keshel frowned at the thoughts pouring from the woman. Why could he hear them so clearly? Why did she think…

  “And… there’s no way my legs will heal?” Her voice was high pitched, but Keshel got the sense that was more from panic than anything else.

  Broken. Broken. Broken. Her thoughts tumbled onward.

  “Are they sure? We can do more tests if we have to I—”

  It’s your own fault. You’re useless.

  Useless? Keshel opened his mouth, but found that he couldn’t find the words to speak. All the other memories had been from a first person perspective, but now he was watching from his own body. Was it because he’d found the room? Was this… Teisel?

  “But… what about niortak medicine? Did they try niortak medicine?” The suiki’s antennae moved downward noticeably, the tears in her eyes running again.

  A waste. They won’t help you.

  You’re not worth it.

  “I-I can make food? Join the agriculture department?” She suggested, she seemed to be grasping for anything.

  They wouldn’t take you.

  You’re useless. Keshel took a step closer at that thought, his eyes wide and worried.

  You’ve always been useless.

  She lowered her head, her mind was racing for ideas. There was food, there was cleaning… there was… “I could wash dishes?” Maybe she would try being an overseer? But those positions were always reserved for higher born alanerea, maybe…

  One of the spectators stood up. “No.”

  She jerked her head upward, the abrupt response jarring her from her mental state for a moment. She seemed like she’d been talking to them for a while now, but she was surprised that this man had spoken. His voice was deep and powerful, filled with hivemind intent. It was odd to hear next to the others, who were soft-spoken.

  But to the woman in the chair, it pulled her out of the endless circles of her own mind. “W-what do I do then?”

  The general of warfare, Druin Afervest. He held himself with a strict air—his clothes had barely a wrinkle and his expression was even. He looked down at her with those calm and calculating eyes. He barely even blinked as the woman withered beneath his gaze. Then, slowly, he glanced down at a tablet in front of him and then back at her.

  There was something with the way Teisel regarded him, a huge respect, almost a love. She knew of the honor he showed even the lowest of people, she knew of how many people he had protected when part of the ship collapsed in five years ago. He was seen as a hero, and even now, she couldn’t help but see that first.

  Keshel frowned.

  “According to your records, you can keep a secret.”

  “W-what?” She seemed surprised, confused. But still hopeful.

  He ignored her question and looked back at the tablet in his hands, he began to read. “‘Teisel Espacival, wounded in a hivemind accident after an encounter with Prince Ulenik. She is to report immediately to the youth special forces. In six months she will be assigned as a backup operative.’ I think it’s fairly clear what you’re doing next.”

  Teisel simply stared at him. The hope was blooming now, and she let it. Why shouldn’t she let it?

  Keshel knew that feeling. Hope, regret, a wish that things had been different… a knowledge that in the end, the most you can do is try to keep helping from afar. Keshel was beside the woman a moment later, finally absolutely certain that this was Teisel. Her legs didn’t seem to be working—probably from the fall...

  Teisel didn’t seem to have any idea what they were planning, but she lifted her chin at long last, feeling purpose seep into her bones. Her voice still wavered, but this time, her mind wasn’t plagued with thoughts of her inevitable… fall.

  Keshel frowned, wondering if the memory would dissipate if he tried to give her a hug.

  “Where do I go, sir?”

  Druin nodded, “That’s exactly the attitude we wanted. Have you had any known exposure to hivemind augments?”

  Teisel shook her head, “No sir.”

  He smiled, his eyes softening, “Then we’ll have to get you your injections first. I’m sure you will one day become great.”

  The echoes of Teisel’s thoughts remained tumbling about in his mind long after the memory ended, echoing in Keshel’s head. Useless… Broken… failure. Almost every suiki would rather die than ever be useless. But this Druin had given her hope, and that was more precious than anything else.

  Keshel opened his eyes after a long moment of sadness; blinking at the empty room around him as he found that there were tears in his eyes.