The Queen Is Dead, Long Live The Queen: A HORNETS short story: HORNETS, #4

By Tami Veldura

 The HORNETS, a special forces squad, have been called in to gather intel on a new, aggressive alien wiping out colonies at the edge of human-controlled space. Tao, a communication and recon specialist, arrives with their squad only to discover the officer in charge is none other than special agent code name Suspension, aka, Tao's mother. Tao's carrying a lot of baggage, their mother sits at the center of it, and this mission just became personal.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Story Prism Studios
• Release date: May 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215407615

Tami Veldura

Tami Veldura is an enby/aro/ace author of queer fiction. They have published short stories in anthologies Fresh Starts, Hauntings, Love Among The Thorns, Love Is Like A Box Of Chocolates, the magazine Galaxy’s Edge, and they are a contributing member of the scifi magazine Boundary Shock Quarterly. They publish new work every month, crossing every genre, but always featuring queer characters and found families.As S.T. Lynn, they write uplifting, sweet, and tropey fantasy fiction, featuring women front and center. Including fairy tales, elves, magic, and happy endings for young adults and young-at-heart.

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Book Description

The HORNETS, a special forces squad, have been called in to gather intel on a new, aggressive alien wiping out colonies at the edge of human-controlled space. Tao, a communication and recon specialist, arrives with their squad only to discover the officer in charge is none other than special agent code name Suspension, aka, Tao’s mother. Tao’s carrying a lot of baggage, their mother sits at the center of it, and this mission just became personal.

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The Queen Is Dead, Long Live The Queen

The Hornets had been called to respond to smuggling rings and hostile native creatures, but never to an alien invasion. Tao slid into their seat on the shuttle beside Mura, one of the last Hornets on board. There were ten of them crammed into a shuttle retrofitted to hold them all. Originally meant for five, it was a tight fit.

Tao wasn’t a large person, tall, but not broad by any standard. Mura, on the other hand, was thicker and stronger in every dimension, which left her power armor overflowing the seat in odd proportion. Mura didn’t thrive in compact environs. She was a woman meant for open spaces.

Tao breathed out slowly as their body-covering power armor morphed to the seat back, locking them in more securely than any harness. They triggered their helmet, which emerged from the back of their power armor, moving almost like a liquid, then snapped overhead and instantly provided bio statistics and HUD details. Names hovered over specific Hornets like gamer tags, moving as they did, and thanks to the suit’s near-field, Tao could call up data at will.

The team’s names cascaded