Test run for yeerk drone vehicles: one

[screamsofstars]

((from here))

Starscream's moving as soon as her feet hit the floor of her lab, weaving briskly in and out among the stations where her assistants and drones are working.

"This way," she tells the human host who's following her with the bucket containing his squad mates. "Through this door."

Silence falls over them as they enter her private sanctum, which is currently dominated by three tables in the middle of the room. On each of those tables is what looks like a body covered from the chest down with a sheet. One of them is a dead ringer for a certain human woman named Natasha Stanton. Another is a fair haired male, and the third is a dark skinned male with strong features.

"Set the bucket here." She turns to look at him, her expression saying that she expects to be obeyed.

Comments

[screamsofstars.livejournal.com]

"And how do you foresee attaining that?" She opens the Natasha shell's chest and tinkers with the sensor nest.

[in-the-cracks.livejournal.com]

"By neutralising all our opposition, to begin with." Five gives her a slanted look. "I don't know all the plans of vissers and Councilors: all I have to focus on is the invasion of Earth."

[screamsofstars.livejournal.com]

"Tragically flawed strategy. Maybe you're not advanced enough to be worth helping after all." Starscream doesn't look up from her work.

[in-the-cracks.livejournal.com]

Five frowns, eyes narrowing. "What are you talking about?"

[screamsofstars.livejournal.com]

"Conquest, whether direct or undertaken by subterfuge, has never, to my extensive knowledge, worked against humans."

[in-the-cracks.livejournal.com]

The Controller raises its eyebrows, smirking faintly. The humans of this universe must be very different. "Their records say otherwise."

[screamsofstars.livejournal.com]

"Do those records cover the conquest of humans by other races?" Starscream absently scans the yeerk's bio signature, and a few of its surface thoughts through its interface with the shell.

[in-the-cracks.livejournal.com]

Five's surface thoughts currently involve Yeerk brilliance and humanity's comparative weakness - what do the primates have that her people don't? There's plenty of pride, stinging slightly from Starscream's insult - but then Starscream was basing her judgement on what the Yeerk told her, wasn't she? And that's not enough to critcise. Five herself doesn't know that much.

"Of course not. They don't know about any of us yet." Five smiles and shrugs. "What is your point? There's nothing to stop us conquering them the same way as they've conquered each other - constantly."

[screamsofstars.livejournal.com]

"I have studied thousands of histories, in as many realities, of other races' attempts at conquering human-kind." Starscream forms a tool from her finger and makes a delicate adjustment, then looks up so that those ancient red eyes meet those of Five's shell. "None have succeeded in the end. Many led to the fall, or even the extinction, of the attempted conquerers."

[in-the-cracks.livejournal.com]

The Controller's mouth twists in a sneer. "Ridiculous. Humans aren't any more invulnerable than Andalites - or Hork-Bajir, or Taxxons. They're weaker, and even more ignorant. Maybe they could put up a fight if they were properly warned, but they won't be."

She's heard rumours that her commanding visser is in favour of forcible invasion, but Five's been part of the infiltration effort all her life, and she likes it.

[screamsofstars.livejournal.com]

"The evidence doesn't lie." Starscream turns back to her work.

[in-the-cracks.livejournal.com]

"No. But you might." Five smirks. "You're a friend of theirs, after all. And you're obviously on their side."

[screamsofstars.livejournal.com]

"I am on my own side. Master of my own domain." The tiny femme doesn't look up from her task. "And you are convincing me even more that your race is unfit for the help that I could provide."

Her voice drops. "Pity... you yourself seemed to have such potential."

[in-the-cracks.livejournal.com]

Five frowns in confusion, and some worry. It doesn't want to lose this, not now. But she's distracted from the main thing that's bothering her. "Potential?"