 Given that Formians are naturally governed by an ant queen, how does King Yuri manage to hold his position as their leader?
So far as it has been possible to test the direction of the source of these waves, it appears that the direction has a twenty-four hour cycle, thus indicating that the origin of these waves is some point outside the earth. The university authorities will express no opinion as to whether or not these messages come from Mars. 6 Twelve months ago he would have been available, for he was then quietly visiting at my farm, after five earth-years spent on the planet Venus, where, by the aid of radio, he had led the Cupians to victory over their oppressors, a human-brained race of gigantic black ants. He had driven the last ant from the face of continental Poros, and had won and wed the Princess Lilla, who had borne him a son to occupy the throne of Cupia. II TOO MUCH STATIC Myles Cabot had returned to the earth to study the latest developments of modern terrestrial science for the benefit of the Cupian nation. He was the regent of Cupia during the minority of his baby son, King Kew the Thirteenth. The loyal Prince Toron occupied the throne in his absence. The last of the ant-men and their ally, the renegade Cupian Prince Yuri, had presumably perished in an attempt to escape by flying through the steam-clouds which completely hem in continental Poros. Ants, six-footed, and six feet high. Gone was all his languor, as he seized a piece of driftwood and prepared to defend himself. As he stood thus expectant, Myles realized that his present position and condition, the surrounding scenery, and the advance of the ant-men were exactly, item for item, like the opening events of his first arrival on the planet Poros. Could it be that all his adventures in Cupia had been naught but a dream; a recurring dream, in fact? And then events began to differ from those of the past; for the three other Formians halted, and Doggo advanced alone. But Myles no longer possessed the wonderful electrical headset which he had contrived and built during his previous visit to that planet, so as to talk with Cupians and Formians, both of which races are earless and converse by means of radiations from their antennae. 11 He dreaded the paralyzing bite which Formians usually administer to their victims, and which he had twice experienced in the past; but, fortunately, it was not now forthcoming. The other three ants kept away from him as Doggo led him to the beached airplane, and soon they were scudding along beneath silver skies, northward as it later turned out.
 The ant queen died during the Formian escape over the boiling sea, and so King Yuri occupies the power vacuum left by he queen’s absence.
 The ant queen was both killed by and usurped by King Yuri. He perpetually inhabits the power vacuum left by her absence.  The ant queen was killed in hand to hand combat by the Cupian uprising, leaving a power vacuum that King Yuri took advantage of.  The ant queen died during the Formian escape over the boiling sea, and so King Yuri occupies the power vacuum left by he queen’s absence.  The ant queen died of old age, and all other younger Formians have yet to give birth to a new queen. King Yuri will occupy the leadership position until such a birth occurs.