Super Queen-Mother. Book II. Life or Death
Super Queen-Mother saw that her spaceship had disappeared. The three escort spaceships had also vanished.
The lighted path was leading to a tunnel cut through the rock. Super Queen-Mother looked back and decisively went ahead.
The wide and tall tunnel was not long – in the distance a light was seen. Its walls were trimmed up with metallic silver tiles, very small, looking like large fish scales.
The appearance of the yellowish-waxen picture got Super Queen-Mother’s attention. She came into the tunnel and took some steps.
The «fish scales» revived, coming down to her and baring the dark walls of the tunnel. Keeping on walking, Super Queen-Mother sent a high voltage discharge at the insects around her. Lightning bolts came off her one after another, everything around was sparkling and crackling.
The insects fell on the floor, heated to bright crimson color, and then burst, like sunflower seeds. With her every step there were more and more killed insects. They crackled under the soles of Super Queen-Mother.
«So, this is your way to say «hello», she thought. «Then, this is my warm greeting to you.»
Her energy blow evaporated the mountain together with the tunnel.
Only the light path left, on which Super Queen-Mother was walking in a measured tread, not slowing down. The remainder of the energy she had produced flew away into space.
Instantly, several dozens of spaceships appeared above her. Super Queen-Mother looked up and smiled:
«Now you’ve done everything right. You have to stand up when a woman comes in. Or weren’t you taught to do this in your childhood? Now I have to teach you to respect a woman.»
Having walked a bit farther, she paid attention to numerous spaceships beneath, to the right and to the left of the light path.
The ship, she had arrived in, was also there. Super Queen-Mother recognized it at once. It was just a relief for her, as if she had met an old acquaintance.
Just in case, Super Queen-Mother remembered its location, and, at the same time, viewed the surrounding landscape.
At a distance, very high mountains were seen. Endless, rough stony fields, set with boulders of different sizes, spread before them. Small, flat stone chippings dominated the landscape.
The atmosphere resembled the one on Earth in its composition. She did not see any seas, lakes or rivers. There were no plants or animals either.
«Maybe, the territory had been cleared off for the battle», she thought.
Super Queen-Mother knew that millions of eyes of all the inhabitants of the whole Galaxy were examining her.
She was walking with her head up, vigorously stepping on the lighted path, down the ridge of a small hill.
Super Queen-Mother switched on all her abilities and skills at full. She was preparing herself for a battle, a mortal battle.
There were only her enemies around her. There would be no mercy from them for her and for her civilization. But, could it happen that they would reverse roles? Everything was possible.
Super Queen-Mother was waiting for an internal impulse, when all her strength, abilities and possibilities would join into one whole.
And this happened. Super Queen-Mother not only felt as a beast, she became a beast.
Her soul and body were compelled to solve only one task. It was a difficult task – to save the life of her civilization.
She did not know what was in store for her, but the state of a nervous strain abated.
A real Super Queen-Mother was walking down the stream – a composed, unpredictable and deadly fighter.
There was only one most important thing in the surrounding world – the life of her civilization. Let the rest of the galaxy defend itself on its own.
At the end of the descent Super Queen-Mother ran into a stripe of dense fog, but the light path was still visible. She was not in it for long. The fog border ended abruptly, and she found herself on the stadium field.
Chapter 5
Super Queen-Mother carefully looked around.
She was in the middle of the stadium, but there were no stands around it.
All judges were hanging in the air, one above another, forming a triple level ring around the stadium.
Everybody had a piece of the map of the Galaxy «Milky Way» above him; the planet, he had arrived from, was lit on it.
Super Queen-Mother lifted her head up – there was also a piece of the general map of the Galaxy above her, with the shining Earth planet on it.
She reduced her weight to zero, rose above the field, slowly turning around with her whole body, and surveyed all of them.
Their looks varied: curious and business-like; some were indifferent, but there were also glares full of hatred.
Judging from these looks, she instantly defined the degree of danger.
She did not care what looks they had. If she had such an opportunity, she would have torn off them all, without fear or regret.
The appearances of the representatives of the Galaxy were also different:
– They were short and very tall;
– Some had suckers all over their bodies, as on an octopus’s feelers;
– The bodies of some of them were quite hairy; the others had no hair at all;
– Some were twinkling in the dusk, and some were quite transparent, as if filled with water;
– They were of different colors – red, blue, yellow, white, purple, black, and others;
– Some had huge heads and eyes, but small bodies;
– Some looked like elongated flames of cold plasma;
– Others resembled dense fog, taking different shapes.
«On Earth we call such creatures ghosts», thought Super Queen-Mother.
– Some looked like big smooth stones, moving by over rolling;
– From afar, some judges resembled plants of different shapes, colors, but in a state of flux;
– Many of them looked like earthly lizards or insects;
– There were also quite exotic species – spiraling saucers, pulsating balls, and the bundles of energy, changing their colors.
No one was like her, except, perhaps, distantly.
Many of them did not have eyes, but she felt the look of everyone.
The preparations for the battle began. Though there was no discharge of the starter’s pistol, everybody understood this.
A white film covered all participants. A white cloud wrapped up the judges. They were not seen any more.
The stadium floor had also changed. Now it reminded her of thick glass in its structure.
Super Queen-Mother jumped several times on it – it appeared to be an exact copy of the floor in her training center. The familiar place strengthened her assurance in the victory.
Super Queen-Mother did not want to wait for them to kill her.
«If the judges attacked me before the battle, why can’t I attack them here the first in response? The final word will rest with me in any case», Super Queen-Mother thought.
She jumped up and launched such a powerful energy strike around her that it could destroy the continents, as the Earth Keepers had said. The effect of unexpectedness was in the suddenness of her actions.
The energy discharge was so powerful that it threw Super Queen-Mother up still higher, and she saw the aftermath of her blow beneath her.
The nearest mountain on the horizon just disappeared; huge layers of cracked and splayed ground were coming over each other, creating blockages of many kilometers.
Something started gurgling inside the planet, and big columns of smoke and flame erupted together with white-hot lava and ashes. The roaring of the planet and the howling of red-hot stones, flying at great speed, filled the surroundings.
«It’s your mistake to get in touch with an angry woman», Super Queen-Mother thought, going down to the field. «I will spoil everything here».
She imagined the feelings of the observers. They did not expect such agility from her, and on some reason there was no response from them.
«An encore blow», Super Queen-Mother thought, and sent the energy of the same power once more.
This time all her energy was blocked. Super Queen-Mother saw that the energy she had released seemed to come to some barrier and began to flow along it in flame tongues, rising up from the ground and forming a ball a mile in diameter.
Bright reddish-yellow balls with energy enclosed in them were flowing down from the walls, slowly floating in the air. When they touched each other, a directed explosion tore off the planet’s surface, forming narrow but bottomless chasms.
Super Queen-Mother shifted her look to the stadium field. It did not exist anymore. After her first blow it was covered with concentric fractures. After the second strike it disappeared. Super Queen-Mother was on a small islet, which had remained intact under her. The limiter on her weapon had gone off, creating a dead zone around her, to prevent her from wounding herself. It worked as a guide block of cannon, creating a small safe circle around her. Farther there was a bottomless abyss, or, to be more exact, emptiness.
Super Queen-Mother launched the energy for the third time, having decided that «plenty was no plague». If the third blow would add to the second one, it would be a sight to behold.
But the effect of unexpectedness was lost, and the third blow was also blocked. The enormous energy she had shot went away into the space depths in the form of a lonely beam.
At the spot where the beam had hit the planet, a canyon was formed half a mile wide and a mile deep. Its edges were like fritted glass and shone in the light.
Chapter 6
Super Queen-Mother felt the danger. It was multiple and was approaching her at a great speed from all sides. The surroundings instantly became yellowish-waxen.
Super Queen-Mother saw many bright energy arrows, flying towards her. They were portions, or bursts of light in the form of arrows.
Super Queen-Mother raised her both arms, stretched herself and started to perform a snake dance on this «stage» she had made.
«Well, let them use their brains, in the meantime the score is 1:0 in my favor», thought Super Queen-Mother.
She did not want to think that the score 1:1 was just impossible.
Lots of fiery energy arrows actually made her «dance» all kidding aside.
Her body was curving to such extent that it seemed it would break the next moment. She made a sharp bend and then fixed the movement at the extreme point. Her body worked as a stroboscope – every split second it was already at the opposite side. She was trained enough to do such gymnastics.
Arrows meant to kill her flew away into the distance.
«It’s time to stop this strip show, otherwise they can like it», Super Queen-Mother thought and substituted a room with glassy walls for herself, full of crystal ware on glass shelves.
Crystal ware also was on glass shelves of several showcases in the middle of the room. It was one of her tricks up her sleeve that she had prepared at home.
Only a woman could notice such an interesting detail while cleaning shelves with crystal ware: directional light was reflected by all crystal ware. She had tested this finding by directing a beam of the laser pointer on the crystal.
Now the natural laws she had noticed served her a good turn.
The effect was fabulous. Even she, standing next to the room, couldn’t find out in this flash of lightning if there was somebody inside it.
Each beam was broken into dozens of beams by crystal facets; new beams, falling on the facets of other crystal ware and reflecting in the mirror in addition, created myriads of beams, blinding everybody around.
These fireworks of light gave a respite to her and the possibility to return attacks, following one after another.
Using her pictures on the site of the battle – tricks, prepared beforehand – did not mean she had transferred herself to a different place. They were holographic images, which transferred only some properties, characteristic of real things.
For judges’ better moods, Super Queen-Mother began to send her energy not in all directions, but only to those who had the most evident hatred in their looks.
However, judges were of minor concern for Super Queen-Mother; the main thing was the site of the battle.
The wall they had put up protected them quite well, transferring her blows into beams of yellow-white color, bright and sharp. It caused unpleasant moments for those judges in whose direction Super Queen-Mother sent her energy.
Chapter 7
The light around her began undulating. When the brightness reached its maximum Super Queen-Mother noticed that the surroundings became yellow-waxen. She rose a little higher and used the picture of the trick she had prepared at home and called «the wood».
…Super Queen-Mother was standing on the small edge of a wood. The branches of large ancient trees nearby were swinging in the light wind.
The wood in a moment showed her the location of the danger. It was coming from different places, spreading in circles by the trees.
The information transfer was instant, and it became clear at once for her that «something» was at this or that spot.
Super Queen-Mother did not want to wait for the enemy’s attack; instead, she directed her energy at the spot where it was. The trees split under the blows and flared up, thus pointing to hot spots.
After the blow the danger disappeared at that area, but then other spots, which her enemies had already reached, became dangerous. Unknown creatures, little by little, approached the edge of the wood.
Super Queen-Mother changed her tactics and hit only far targets, not touching the nearest ones. She increased the frequency of blows to be prepared to meet the attacks.
Super Queen-Mother’s body worked as an open wound, which informed her brains about the lightest air movement.
At the same time, she automatically launched selective energy blows at the judges on the stadium, who were actually accomplices of the attack at her.
The first creatures appeared at the wood’s edge. They were like half transparent energy bodies, constantly changing their colors of tender tints. Green beneath, the creatures were crimson at the top.
They stalked her when the bright light, illuminating the battle, was switched off, and when for a moment the light switched on, they tried to hide themselves at the spot where it reached them. The light, coming from their bodies, also switched off.
From aside, it looked like the convulsive jerking movement of unknown creatures.
Super Queen-Mother directed small portions of energy at this enemy.
The creatures sprayed apart, like jelly-fish, slapped down against a dike dam. The broken parts instantly became transparent and thawed on the planet’s surface.
Super Queen-Mother directed the fire farther and father, inland. Her shots became more often, but assailants cropped up even quicker.
She had to use the «carpeting» tactics – to make a shot not at targets, but at localities divided into areas: an inner circle, a middle circle, and a distant circle. The tactics she had chosen appeared to be effective.
There were no trees left any more, they all perished, helping Super Queen-Mother in the battle. Only the soil, turned over and mixed up with burning trunks, was around her now.
The darkness, set in when the light was undulating, was not absolute any more. Anything that was burning, gave light to this picture of death.
Chapter 8
It seemed the enemy had understood that the fight could have been without end, and had changed their tactics.
Whatever surrounded her: stones, trunks, and ditches, started to move off; 3D images became flat. It looked like a large picture painted on the internal side of a big ball.
Suddenly, the whole surface cracked and crumbled, revealing dozens of small holes. The next moment a fiery ball was blown out of each of them.
All of these blown balls burst.
Small fiery balls ran out of them; they swirled, filling all the space of a big ball.
New balls were blown out of the holes and also burst. The process of ball blowing did not cease.
These small balls became more and more numerous, with every minute they approached Super Queen-Mother nearer and nearer.
Their chaotic movement became at once directed when Super Queen-Mother sharply moved her arm back. The balls flew to her hand.
«Well, you react to the movement! Then you’ll get it. I’ll hit them with the energy they had created», Super Queen-Mother decided and, having broken off a big piece from her cracked pedestal, threw it up, having imparted the strongest rotary motion to it.
The balls, like magnets, stuck to the stone and flew into each other, forming one big fiery ball. Soon it looked like a huge shining sun.
Super Queen-Mother directed it to the wall and hit the ball against it. She saw it burning a hole with a hiss and jumping out at the planet’s surface. The rest of the balls jumped out through the big hole after it.
Chapter 9
The ball disappeared, and she again found herself in the battle hall, which now looked intact, as before.
The only thing Super Queen-Mother had time to notice was the restored field of the stadium. She was at once thrown to the ocean bottom.
The judges remembered the beginning of the battle very well. Now they did not want to leave Super Queen-Mother unattended even for a minute.
The earthly women appeared to be unpredictable, and they got a special woman – Super Queen-Mother.
Super Queen-Mother quickly took stock of the situation.
She was in front of the entrance to a big dark cave. A sandy bottom with rare stones was barely seen there, like in the dusk; long, green algae were growing on them. Fish and mussels were moving on the sand, looking for some food.
Super Queen-Mother did not notice any big sea animals. There was no danger nearby. She did not hurry – the time was on her side.
Suddenly, a waterspout began to swirl her and then carried to the cave at lightning speed.
Super Queen-Mother set herself free of the obtrusive hugs, having destroyed it by a small energy outbreak.
It was very dark in the cave. She released small but powerful bundles of energy. The balls brightly illuminated the flooded cave.
Super Queen-Mother was in a big hall, decorated with numerous hanging stalactites. Tall outgrowths of stalagmites were directly under them. Some of them joined with the former, forming stalagnates. Motionless stone «waterfall» was «flowing down» from the left corner of the hall.
Super Queen-Mother thought that this cave had been on the planet surface for a long time, because all these stone outgrowths could be formed only in the air, and then, after the continental platform had lowered, appeared under the water.
There were some passages from this general hall into the depths of the rock. As soon as she swam to the main passage, the central entrance into the cave collapsed, and the water pushed her on her back.
Super Queen-Mother glanced back and saw as a lot of strange creatures were being formed in the water. They were long and transparent.
«It looks like a nesting of water snakes», she thought.
Super Queen-Mother threw one of the balls down the cave, but did not burst it, remembering that water did not compress. Instead, she discharged it gradually.
The water in the hall boiled.
In front of the entrance to her cave Super Queen-Mother put the second ball.
Water reptiles rushed to other passages. The water killed those who did not succeed to run away.
The energy not only killed all live creatures, which could be in it; it lifted the dead bodies to the cave ceiling.
Their transparent bodies could be seen now – the boiled reptiles became white. Now Super Queen-Mother could look them over.
They were snakes a hundred feet long, with small legs but sharp claws. Their tails, strong for such bodies, were wide in their upper and narrow in their lower part, like in fish; it assumed a good speed. They had two caudal fins. The head was like that of an ordinary snake, but with a small beard, which caught vibrations and smells coming from a prey.
Super Queen-Mother noticed all that with a corner of her eye and swam inward the cave. Bright balls – her light and vanguard weapons – led Super Queen-Mother to another hall, even larger.
It was a strange hall.
She swam to the middle of it and felt that her hand was hanging in the air. Super Queen-Mother pulled her hand closer to her body and cautiously swam a bit more. Her head and hands hung over a water precipice.
It was the simplest trap, and Super Queen-Mother discerned it in time. She looked the hall over and did not see anything dangerous.
Super Queen-Mother sank in the water in full and reached the bottom. She made some steps on the cave bottom and… came out into the air.
Super Queen-Mother turned back and saw a water column in front of her, hanging in the air without any support. The water’s edge was not smooth. It reminded her of the wall of a gorge, cut out by a mountain stream in the limestone.
This interested her, and she shoved her hand into the water. There were no obstacles to it; her hand freely went into the water and out of it. There were not any special holding devices either above or beneath.
It was not clear what was holding the water. She knew – one had to beware of odd things.
Super Queen-Mother looked over the place.
The farther entrance noisily opened and closed all the time. A piece of the rock worked as a door. It was not just dark, but very dark behind it; it was absolute darkness. When the entrance opened, dry, frosty air came out, forming a tongue of the white hoarfrost, which did not thaw.
Next to it was one more entrance, and it was a model of elegance and beauty. Super Queen-Mother came up closer to it. The entrance led toward the rock.
The floor, enchased with large, polished, colored and transparent gemstones and lit from beneath, was displaying the changing images of her thoughts.
Super Queen-Mother thought about her home, and it appeared on the colored mosaic floor; one could discern even the bay in the sea in the far part of the passage. Color discrepancies looked very original.
The walls, made of the whole mountain crystal, were displaying the most attractive pictures of the surrounding landscape, which only nature could create.
The pictures were brightly shining in her vicinity and became darker farther in the passage, or shone in fragments. Darkened parts shone with soft opalescent colors.
The ceiling was decorated with large diamonds, and it displayed bright and contrasting images. It showed morning dawn, slipping into dusk, and different parts of the universe, which seemed to be illuminated from beneath by a powerful light source. Then the dawn came again, and everything went around.
Super Queen-Mother thought:
«It’s a very strange entrance. And what if it is replaying my life, year after year, at such a speed? Each dawn adds a year of my life. Nobody will go to the end of such an entrance without growing older, till the day of his or her death.»
As if in response to her thoughts, melodious, plaintive sounds came from the depths of the entrance, and an invisible cloud of a divine fragrance covered her.
«It’s time to leave from here, and the quicker the better», Super Queen-Mother decided and walked through the wide tunnel deep into the cave.
A deep stream, flowing down, took up half of the passage. Its waters fell down from a height of about four feet.
From aside, the stream looked like a long live aquarium, though it did not have glass walls, keeping the water. Some fish was seen, swimming inside the stream, closer to its edges. The water was cloudy, with some mud in it. Sometimes, some shadows were flickering here and there. They moved very quickly, and it was difficult to make them out.
A small white fish jumped out of the stream, thrashed on the dry floor of the cave for some time, then jumped back into the stream and swam out of sight. It looked like the fish often carried out such tricks.
An interesting thought came into Super-Queen-Mother’s mind. She waited for a fish, falling out of the stream, caught it and came back to the beautiful passage. Super Queen-Mother threw the fish inside it and started watching.
Very soon the fish stopped thrashing, became stock still and then began to decay. Super Queen-Mother smiled ironically – her guess was right.