Planet Garcia - Birth
“Intake valve normal. Oxygen saturation check, comms module link confirmed. Eve, can you hear me?”
Click. With the sound of the helmet sealing tight, Kal's voice echoed through the internal speakers. He checked the suit's seams over and over, gripping Eve's shoulder. The thick gloves dulled the sensation, but his gaze was razor-sharp.
“Listen up, Eve. The place we're heading into isn't just dangerous—it's beyond that. Scans showed no life signs, but you never know. If your body heats up during absorption or anything feels off, stop immediately. Got it? No pushing yourself. Spit it out or cut the connection right away.”
Kal rattled off his warnings like a parent leaving a child by the water's edge. It wasn't nagging so much as obsession born of terror. Stepping into the heart of these eroded xenoforms—on their own two feet, no less—had his pulse hammering wildly.
But that desperation was nothing more than petty noise to the one standing right beside him.
[Ha....]
Nahibi let out an exaggerated sigh for all to hear. She clung to the back of Eve's helmet like the spacesuit was an annoyance she could barely tolerate, glaring at Kal with lopsided eyes.
[Human worries are so pointlessly specific. You think Eve-sama could get hurt by something as trivial as a little energy backlash? She's fundamentally different from a lowly form like you.]
Nahibi stretched her body long, prying Kal's hand off Eve's shoulder. She even shook herself off as if brushing away filth.
[And even if something did happen, Nahibi is here. I'd stake my life to protect Eve-sama, so you just watch from the back.]
“Talk is cheap. Who was it that hid behind Eve last time when I nearly roasted them?”
[Th-that was... a strategic retreat!]
“Nahibi, this is about safety. Blind faith won't cut it.”
[No, you're wrong, Kal. It's a matter of qualification.]
Nahibi wouldn't budge. Kal opened his mouth for another retort, but Eve tugged lightly at his sleeve. Through the transparent visor, her red eyes held only him, pure and clear.
“It's okay, Kal. Squishy's not bad! She didn't mean it. Eve'll be careful. Promise!”
Eve hooked out her pinky. At her mediation, Kal gave up the argument with Nahibi, nodded curtly, took her tiny hand in his gloved one, and hit the airlock release.
Hiss—. With the pressure equalizing, the heavy door ground open.
Before them stretched a colossal, grotesque biological museum that defied human reason.
We stepped out of the ship.
The ground beneath our boots wasn't hard rock. It yielded with an eerie elasticity—petrified muscle fibers twisted together. Wherever our floodlights swept, frozen organs jutted up like massive pillars, while desiccated veins draped from the ceiling like withered vines.
“Whoa....”
Eve, fearless as ever, peered around with sparkling eyes through her visor.
“Kal! Look over there! It's huge. What animal is that?”
Her finger pointed to a wall where a massive monster was half-embedded. Its scythe-like forelimbs and vicious jaw were preserved in perfect fossilization.
I scowled the instant I saw it. I'd encountered that thing in military manuals back in the day.
Reaper type, huh...
The infamous assault xenoform that mowed down infantry like wheat. A single squad had to unload everything just to take one down.
Then Nahibi, puffing up like a museum curator, began her boastful tour.
[Oh, sharp eyes, Eve-sama! Those are the most valiant knights of Mother's legion, the Blade Knights.]
“Knights? Cool!”
[Indeed. They shredded arrogant Federation tanks like paper with those razor claws. Excellent shock troops.]
Nahibi caressed the fossil's jaw with a tentacle, lost in nostalgia.
[And over there—that giant is a Goliath type. As vanguard of Mother's legion, its durability was unmatched. Missiles barely scratched it.]
“Whoa! Even bigger buddy!”
Eve nodded along to Nahibi's explanations, even waving at the fossilized beasts. Then,
“Squishy, oh Squishy~”
[Yes, Eve-sama?]
“Were all these friends of yours?”
[...Why do you ask?]
“Just... You look happy for the first time.”
[...]
[Yes. They were precious comrades.]
“I see.”
Eve hugged Nahibi tight.
[Eve-sama?]
“This is what you do when you're sad—it makes it better!”
Eve stroked the hugged Nahibi.
“Gotta do it for my precious Squishy!”
[...Yes... Thank you so much.]
Kal thumped Eve's helmet proudly at the sight. We passed Nahibi's old comrades.
The change crept in gradually. The air grew denser. Even in our suits, the pressure on our skin mounted—like wading into deep water, an invisible drag.
[......]
Nahibi flattened herself to the floor, leading with reverent tension. Eve's steps slowed too. Her playful expression faded; her red eyes stared blankly at the pillar ahead.
“...Eve? You okay?”
I asked cautiously, but she didn't answer. She just trudged forward, entranced.
Thump.
Heartbeat? No, imagination.
And at last, we reached the cavern's heart: a pillar pulsing with violet light.
Encased in crystal-clear membrane, mystical purple fluid circulated endlessly within. The crystallized essence of a planet's life force, purified and condensed. Pure energy.
Hummm—hummm—.
It pulsed rhythmically. Wherever the light touched, the dead veins in the floor flushed red briefly before dimming.
The glow was hypnotic in its beauty—yet chillingly wrong. No natural force could birth this artificial, divine artifact.
Eve gazed up blankly. Her reflection in the visor gleamed with the pillar's eerie purple.
“...Eve?”
I called out, reaching as she spaced out, but Nahibi telepathed from her prone position.
[Don't interfere. Eve-sama is... connecting to ancient memories now.]
“What?”
[The communion nexus of past and present queens.]
Ignoring my confusion, Nahibi shifted aside like clearing a path.
[Go forth, my queen. This is your throne.]
Eve advanced slowly. I hesitated to grab her, overwhelmed by the violet aura enveloping her.
She reached the pillar. Then, impossibly—
Rumble—.
The petrified flesh at the base writhed like living serpents. It split, merged, rose—forming a small, dignified throne sculpted from ancient monster bone and meat, tailored perfectly for Eve.
She sat without hesitation, as if it had always been hers.
It looked so natural. She's done this before.
Her form there seemed predestined from birth. Impossible, yet...
As Eve settled, slender tentacles shot from the throne's backrest, wrapping her arms, legs, and spine, locking her in.
“Eve! You okay?!”
I shouted urgently. She finally turned, smiling at me.
Not her usual playful grin begging for food. This was languid, seductive, overlooking all—like a stranger wearing her face. Distant.
“Don't worry, Kal.”
Her voice came through the helmet comms.
“Let's begin.”
Before I could ask what—
Fwoooosh—!
The purple fluid inside thrashed wildly. The glow exploded, blinding the entire cavern.
Eve's heartbeat echoed. No—it was the dead planet's pulse syncing with hers.
[Synchronization initiated.]
Nahibi murmured, trembling.
Energy from the pillar surged through throne-tubes into Eve. Whoooosh—!
The space quaked. Petrified xenoforms shuddered; ceiling veins whipped like in a gale. An energy storm raged in the still air.
Eve floated up slightly. Red-and-purple light bled through her suit, incinerating it.
Not just absorbing? What the hell—
I shielded my eyes from the blaze, helpless. Suit alarms screamed ignored warnings.
My world narrowed to one sight: Eve haloed in purple, suspended.
Then Nahibi lifted her head. Red eyes wild with ecstasy.
She ballooned explosively, laughing madly.
[Behold! Witness it clearly!]
Her psychic wave slammed my mind.
[The birth of our new queen!! The moment the bloodline of truth awakens!]
Tentacles flailed skyward in praise.
[Ahh... I feel it. Eve-sama's vessel fills! The power of predecessors flows as her flesh and blood!]
The anomaly began with a faint crack—pajik.