Waking in a garden

Giving Trea’k his blood had been easier than Dustin had thought, if pretty much as painful as he’d expected. Two days of steady flight had them almost back to their original course towards the Queri, time which he had spent going over the fire systems for Sola’s weapons with Yril’k. Not the main gun though - that required his personal command to fire, and she was new to the crew after all. At the end of the second day, Trea’k’s cocoon had grown a slender proboscis-like tube from one side. At the Vex’ess warrior’s direction, Meli had carefully filled a large syringe with Dustin’s blood before injecting it into the opening.

“That will be sufficient’k. She will use it to adjust what she needs’k.” Had been all the insect woman had said after the procedure; Dustin had nodded as if he understood before getting Rye to start going over Sola’s shield system capabilities and the engineering setup for the weapon systems with their new colleague. He figured his security officer should at least understand the basics of how the guns she was firing would work; he had a vague plan to run through the armoury with her and Meli at some point once Trea’k was back - they were in no immediate need of hand to hand or small arms equipment, and as such it could wait.

Beyond the effort to get Yril’k up to speed on her duties aboard ship, Dustin and the others made a point of integrating her into the crew. Her quarters were quite some way away from the rest of them, but she dined with everyone else in his ready room each night. The room she was now using was next door to the one Dustin had originally allocated the Vex’ess - that chamber was now converted into quarters for the envoy when she emerged from her cocoon. Discussions and mealtimes remained a cheerful event; Dustin had been worried at first that the inevitable presence of people not in their polycule would dampen the chatter and manners of his loves, but he needn’t have worried.

During dinner on the second day after he’d donated blood, Yril’k had at some length told him not to be foolish about the entire thing. “It seems likely’k that you will sleep with my queen’k. I am queensguard’k, intimacy of that kind is’k…” she seemed to flounder for a moment before concluding “…alien to me’k. You being close with your partners does’k not impact me at all’k.” Privately, Dustin made a mental note to keep things to what he considered a reasonable level regardless. He was pretty sure that Emely and Rye at least would take the Vex’ess’s lack of care to mean they could do as they wished, and while Yril’k might not mind he personally was not that much of an exhibitionist. He was pretty sure, at any rate.

Sola was five days out from the prime hive when Yril’k called to inform him that Trea’k was due to hatch from her cocoon. Dustin sent a brief all-hands page to the others, then took the lift from his quarters to the bay where the garden they had been working on was slowly coming together. They’d moved Trea’k there the previous day after discussing what her first view of her new home should be; Meli had suggested it after other options - the ambassadorial suite, Trea’k’s quarters, the observation deck - had all been turned down for one reason or another and it had gained unanimous approval.

When he reached the room, the others were already there; Rye had apparently been adjusting a hydro valve nearby, Meli had been reading while sat on the grass - her tablet was lying some distance from the cocoon alongside a thermos and a plate of snacks - and Emely had been talking with Yril’k when the queensguard had noticed the change in the pod that meant hatching was imminent. As the last to arrive, Dustin smiled to the others before turning to his security chief. “Any final information we should know, Yril’k?” In reply she just shrugged, before commenting “We should be ourselves’k? She is my queen’k, and my queen would want friends’k.”

The five of them sat watching the cocoon quietly - and then suddenly it moved, ever so slightly. “It is time’k.” Was all Yril’k had a chance to say before a fist punched through the top of the pod. Dustin and the others stood, unsure if they should help - but as Yril’k wasn’t moving they opted to wait and see. A second hole was punched through the dry blue husk a moment later; hands rapidly seized the edges of the openings and pulled. With a tearing sound, the material split - and Trea’k slowly unfolded herself from within.

Meli let out pleased sounding hum; Dustin decided that meant that her guess as to what human DNA would do to a Vex’ess was correct. Yril’k had dropped to one knee just as she had when she had undergone her own evolution, while Emely was giving the Envoy one of her trademark bubbly smiles. Rye meanwhile was grinning at Dustin; when she saw him looking at her she mouthed “I knew it” in his direction. But for the most part, all attention was on Trea’k.

The Vex’ess woman straightened and shook herself; that certainly drew the attention inwards. Then, she glanced up and smiled. “Yril’k, captain. Thank you both for being here.” Dustin coughed and blushed. “You’re welcome, envoy. Umm. Meli, would you mind getting the envoy a jacket or something from the automat?” As the Velca walked off to retrieve clothing, Trea’k glanced at the mirror they’d set up nearby prior to her hatching; Dustin had ordered it on the grounds that the first thing Yril’k had wanted to do was see her own reflection and so Trea’k probably would too. As she saw her new form for the first time, the Vex’ess woman raised one eyebrow. “Oh my. I heard envoy evolutions were a change but…” She reached up to touch her face before turning back to Dustin with a smile.

“I hope I am not too discomforting to look at ambassador. I know some species find my kind disconcerting.” Dustin shook his head. “Not at all” he said far too quickly, earning a chuckle from Rye and a giggle from Emely. “My queen’k.” Yril’k began, before shaking her head slightly. “Lady envoy’k, I believe the captain finds you quite attractive’k. Although I should note that from what I have learned of humans’k you should consider dressing’k.” Trea’k glanced at her former handmaiden and then blinked all four of her eyes. “Oh… Oh! Yes, that would be appropriate.”

Fortunately at that point Meli returned with a jacket which the Vex’ess woman pulled on - only to find she could only do it up about two thirds of the way. Finally at that point Dustin’s brain regained enough function to take in the changes that had occurred. Where before Trea’k had a mantis-like face and thin body with only her secondary abdomen swelling, she was now far more balanced. Six legs replaced the four she had previously to hold her wider structure upright; her torso rising from the front, topped with a far rounder face that looked human besides the almost flat nose and four eyes in place of two beneath a crop of purple and grey hair. That wasn’t the main feature that drew the eye however - Dustin found himself fighting to keep his vision from dipping to the woman’s breasts. They were large to say the least - even Meli, stacked as she was barely came close to the new additions to the insect woman’s form.

Doing his best not to think too hard about why a brood-crazy species would mesh with humans to develop breasts larger than his head, Dustin bowed to his new crewmember. “Yril’k tells me that you most likely weren’t able to hear anything during your time in the cocoon, is that correct?” Trea’k nodded carefully, clearly still coming to grips with her new head structure. “That is correct captain. What happened while I was changing please?” Then she turned to Yril’k. “My child, I know you have a role here, but would you assist me?” The warrior didn’t hesitate, offering her hand to the larger woman. “Of course, envoy’k. I have explained things to the captain’k, and he wishes for you to spend time with all of us’k. At least while you get used to your new form’k.”