Drip, drip.
Amidst the slight mechanical sounds, Hera slowly opened her eyes to see the familiar ship's bridge, with a few robots nervously gazing at her from the edge of her vision.
Was she alright?
What had happened?
Hera tried to stand up but felt weak and unsteady. She touched her legs and, realizing there was no physical change in her body, breathed a sigh of relief.
Beyond the porthole, the starlight was shimmering, indicating that the ship's journey had normalized.
The queen hadn't killed her?
Why?
Hera frowned slightly, continuously pondering. She thought she should have already angered that queen.
Indeed, she hadn't expected to return alive. If she could transmit the Insect Swarm data from the edge of the Milky Way back to Lyu, she would consider her mission accomplished.
On that basis, approaching the ascending queen to understand their form of life was a reward Hera set for herself.
But she was alright.
