Commander Ce turned to answer the passing patrol of Watchers. Five Watcher Commanders broke off and landed in haste next to the Scoutmaster. Looking unsettled, they called him aside, and a small group had a short talk in little more than whispers.
After that Commander Ce clapped to summon his Starters.
“Quickly, everybody! I want you to see something.”
Youngsters gathered in a semicircle, obedient but not especially keen. Some were even giggling a bit, when suddenly a group of Watchers who were hovering overhead dropped a heavy object in the center of the semicircle formation; it fell with a loud bump making Starters jerk away reflexively.
When they saw what the object was, they pulled back even further.
A large repulsive creature lay there motionless. It was an insect-like thing with ugly bog-eyed head bearing a pointed snout and ferocious razor-sharp jaws. Winged and air-screwed, the abominable creature had six segmented metal-bound legs and was protected by greenly glittering metallic armor, thick but charred and smashed and covered all over in crusted yellow blood.
It was a slain Grabbing Fly.
“See?” said Commander Ce darkly. “This is what the enemy looks like!”
Shocked Starters didn’t mutter a word.
“Realize once and for all that surviving in the plains is not a game! The outer world is perilous and deadly, youngsters, and if you are not careful you won’t last long. The first Grabbing Fly you run into will rip your head off!”
A collective moan arose from the crowd.
“Straight away, you’ll get a very important lecture, the one about dangerous creatures. You probably should have heard it earlier… never mind. Follow me, unit.”
As they went past the dead Fly, Da couldn’t resist piercing it once with his hand spike.
Commander Ce began his lecture by dividing predators into two classes; hunting either by pursuit or by ambush, Dragonflies and Killer Moth being the principal ones in the first group, Waterworms and Millipedes the most important in the second. However, the Grabbing Flies, also called the Hunting Flies, preyed on both of these.
“Some creatures are a threat only under special circumstances,” noted Commander Ce. “That is, when encountered in thickets; for instance Ants, certain Spiders and ill-tempered Great Black Beetle. Beware of such places!”
He added that the majority of the hostile creatures attacked by their metallic jaws, claws or leg cutting blades. A few could fire blasts in the same fashion as Eeols, like the Dragonflies and a Smaller Millipede; against all others, Starters had an advantage with their blasters.
The most dangerous situations of all would arise when enemies were in large swarms, and Dragonflies were particularly notorious for such practices. The Grabbing Flies, on the other hand, although common and vicious, usually hunted alone or in pairs, and thus gathering swarms could slay them easily if some would cross their way.
“That’s precisely what happened with the Fly you have just seen” explained Commander Ce.
He then spoke in great detail on various methods for fighting every creature; listing their vulnerable spots and the best ways to kill them, or at least slow them down.
“Do not forget, youngsters, superior numbers are our best defense. Be careful not to get separated from your unit, and never allow yourself to stay alone!”
Naturally, running away was a reasonable choice when faced with earth-bound carnivores and slower airborne species; but some, notably Dragonflies, possessed a great speed and endurance.
“Your chance of outrunning a Dragonfly are close to zero, so don’t even try to” advised Commander Ce. “Look for somewhere to hide instead. Or even attempt an attack; it’s extremely risky but sometimes works, particularly if the numbers are in our favor.”
Next was a role-playing practice. With the help of another Scoutmaster, Commander Ce taught youngsters the basic combat maneuvers and evasive actions. First, he was playing various predators, imitating their way to attack and demonstrating the right technique for every case. Later, Starters were given a chance to train in pairs with Commanders and with each other.
“Last thing, Starters. Extreme caution is mandatory! Always keep your eyes open, check all directions, and tackle anything even remotely suspicious. Don’t hesitate to sound the alarm as it may be life-saving.”
Although shaken initially, youngsters weren’t exactly discouraged. Their Commanders’ knowledge and expertise instilled them with trust and they felt safe amidst the huge reddening mass of their kind in the flower grove.
In the evening, all Eeols returned to the Hive.
4.
Great Meadows
“Have you noticed the Hive got smaller recently?” asked Xe thoughtfully.
All his friends nodded in response.
Naturally, the Hive didn’t change a bit. It remained exactly the same as it has always been; faintly lit by the green glow of wax and resonating with a droning buzz in the background. It was Xe and his friends who changed with familiar things looking different in their eyes now, and that transformation happened not only unexpectedly but also bafflingly fast; although only a short time has passed since they were Internals, that period seemed so distant to them.
On the other hand, it was pointless to muse over it.
Young Scouts had a break between two missions. Waiting to be called up again, they were resting on the smooth floor of the Central Chamber at their favorite spot just by the external wall, some leaning against it and others sitting on the convenient pieces of wax rubble.
Unit 33 had been restless that morning. After intensive conversations among themselves curious youngsters have come to the conclusion that they deserved to see some water, but the question was how to persuade Commander Ce to give his permission for such a trip. Ka came up with an idea to present it as a sort of practice, as sooner or later their missions would require them to meddle with water. Half-expecting to be turned down, Starters were genuinely surprised when Commander Ce actually accepted their arguments, agreeing to look around for something appropriate on their next quest.
Indeed, later that morning after the gathering swarm number three had arrived on its predesigned pasture and Watchers assumed their posts, Commander Ce took his unit to the minute pool in an area he believed to be safe. He didn’t forget to remind them to be alert, though.
The pool was very shallow and in the middle of an open clay plain. Its steep irregular banks were almost stripped of all vegetation. Swallowed by slurry and rusting plant debris, the pool had a muddy bed and was filled with large amounts of tangled waterweed floating just under the surface. The air stunk of rotting plants.
It really wasn’t much. Fairly disappointed, Starters have wandered around aimlessly, glowering at the dirty water.
Then all of the sudden a scream wailed.
Everybody turned to glimpse Te throwing himself into some brassy tussock of long-stalked leaves. He reappeared several moments later, limping and looking ashamed.
“I thought I saw a movement in the pool,” he mumbled when alarmed Starters reached him. “But it was only my reflection in the water.”
Standing there with their blasters pulled out, young Scouts couldn’t help guffawing.
Commander Ce silenced them by clapping. “Don’t laugh, youngsters, it’s not funny! There’s nothing wrong with being jumpy, and Starter TeraB1174 was right. Better safe than sorry.”
Leaning against the lukewarm wax wall in the Chamber, Xe smiled absently recalling Te’s expression once more. But then the noisy buzzing made him snap out of his thoughts and look up. His friends around him who were sitting leapt to their feet.
The young Scouts’ break was interrupted by the arrival of a newcomer. He emerged from one of the hallway openings and landed pretentiously on the waxy floor to face the small group.
“Scout unit 33, I presume.”
Pursing his lips tightly, Xe ignored him.
The newcomer’s name was Wa 17. He was a Scout Starter as well, but consid
erably older as he was slightly underage for the last First Flight the previous season and subsequently had to wait for this spring to become a Flyer. The yellow markings on his armor had already begun to lose the vivid brightness of youth, gradually acquiring a darker shade of yellow which was a hallmark of mature Eeols.
Everybody knew he had a minor accident on duty. One powerful blow of western wind shook a crown of Buddi Buddi earning him a bump on the head. That left his helmet only slightly indented, but he still received a few days off for recovery and roamed the Hive in idleness, picking up on any convenient victim crossing his path. Wa 17 was notorious for his bad character.
“So, unit 33, I heard you didn’t make much of yourselves today” he remarked scornfully. “All you were capable to find was a miserable pasture that couldn’t last till noon, not even for that dwarfish swarm of yours.”
The Scout unit 7 to which he got assigned was serving the gathering swarm number one and he loved rubbing it in the faces of his peers. Moreover, other Scouts of the unit 7 were all Matures, and several of them were his friends from the Internal days, so he was coddled and indulged in every possible way which was definitely not improving his character.
The unit 33 looked at Xe. For some reason, youngsters started to regard him as their leader and were expecting to see him react.
Xe gave his rival a cold sneer.
“We were praised, stupid. Our Mission Commander said he is very satisfied with us.”
“Sure he did.” Wa 17 grinned. “He’s supposed to. What would you say when stuck with a bunch of incompetent children, the truth? Come on.”
The threatening clicks clanked behind Xe’s back. Da and Pa 2 have popped sharp red spikes out of their wrists.
Trying to avoid trouble, Xe kept his position between these two and the intruder. Fortunately, at that very moment the Commanders showed up to call the Scouts back to duty, and spotting them made Wa 17 cool down instantly. Snorting contemptuously at unit 33, he activated his air-screw, buzzing loudly as he quickly ascended to disappear in the same hallways from whence he had come.
Xe’s gang sniggered at his departure, feigning firmness and self-confidence. But the problem was that Wa 17 had been partly right. Due to the lack of mature Scouts, their unit was falling behind, and there was no remedy to this situation but to endure it until their own skills and experience would increase enough to make a difference.
Soon afterwards the scouting company three flew out of the Hive for the second time that day. The warm spring sun was at the zenith. Without any flapping and literally soundlessly, one large Butterfly glided near them, displaying a stunning array of vivid colors over his tin wings.
Commander Ce was in a good mood today. He let his Starters fly at will for part of the journey and Xe went looping, climbing up and diving abruptly in imitation of actions he had observed in Heps. One was there far away on the eastern sky, dashing around merrily like having not a single care in the world.
After a brief flight, the scouting company reached the Grasshopper Stone.
In fact, the oddly-shaped whitish rock didn’t bear any resemblance to actual Grasshoppers. It remained an eternal mystery who brainstormed such a name as Eeols knew only that the rock was called this since the first years of their Hive. Anyhow, being huge and conspicuous, it served well as a landmark and a fine orientation key.
Adjacent to the Stone lay an area of nice flat terrain. All across it the numerous sweet-scented Blacksuns were spindling up in a vast light meadow, erecting proudly their almost black dark-purple flowers toward the sky. At this time of season, their giant metal-reinforced stalks were still bare of leaves which didn’t provide a hiding place to the hostiles and made surveillance easy.
The Scouts landed and secured the area without any incidents. The summoning part of the company brought the gathering swarm in promptly and thousands of Gatherers were clustering upon the impressive Blacksun blossoms. Heavy with dark metallic petals, they had bright golden centers with a ring of orange stamens, and Eeols just needed to open the ingrown nectar containers to dip their nozzles from their suckling pumps into the tasteful fluid within. Additionally, stamens were laden with sticky pollen from top to the bottom, and those Gatherers collected it simply by binding it to the pollen racks alongside their shins.
The Eeol Swarm buzzed peacefully feeding on the plentiful pasture. The wary troops of Watchers were patrolling around or surveying from above, perched loosely at the plant tops, and everybody relaxed a little. The peacefulness of this place affected even the strict Scoutmasters, making them suspend drills for the rest of day and give Starters some time off for themselves.
Unit 33 grabbed the opportunity. Ka and Te and three other Xes went playing with some funny-looking pebbles. Le sang to herself. Da and Pa 2 practiced blaster targeting together, in which both were already more than good. Go was holding a speech for anyone willing to listen that youngsters should get a better treatment than just being ordered around all the time. Pa 7 polished his hand spikes.
Lying on the ground between a pair of exposed Blacksun roots, Commander Ce enjoyed a few moments of tranquility. There was nobody around him and Eeols in the distance seemed like tiny red spots. His stillness made him look like he was sleeping; but even now, his eyes were busy behind the gray visor, never ceasing to monitor the surroundings.
Unexpectedly, one of the distant red spots began to grow. Some Eeol was obviously heading his way, moving so fast toward him it wasn’t long before Commander Ce was able to recognize Xe as his visitor.
The young Scout was seething with excitement. When he reached his Superior, he first had to circle around him two or three times before settling down enough to speak. He didn’t even bother to land, but remained hovering with his feet above the ground.
“Sir! You have to see this! Quickly!”
He turned and flew away not waiting for a reply. That was a clear breach of swarm rules, but the panic in the Starter’s voice made Commander Ce disregard it. His air-screw buzzed with initial cracks as he soared after Xe, having lot of trouble catching up with his subordinate who was speeding at maximum velocity.
“Calm down for a moment, youngster! Would you mind telling me what this is all about? And we should get some reinforcements first, don’t you think?”
Xe looked at him nervously, slowing down. “There’s no imminent danger, Sir… it’s about those Racing Spiders. Accidentally, I went past one of their nests–”
“I said many times that species doesn’t attack us,” interjected Commander Ce.
“But Sir! That’s exactly what I want to show you! I discovered remains of an Eeol armor in their nest bearing the clear marks of spider jaws!”
“Oh” said Commander Ce plainly, grasping the Starter’s shoulder to stop him; they were now both hovering in place. “So that’s what frightened you? I feared something serious.”
Under his transparent visor, Xe’s eyes grew big with astonishment.
“Not… serious? This means they do kill Eeols, Sir! That one was probably from our Swarm, although it’s hard to tell as the armor is old and bleached. It had to have been here from the previous season…”
“No. Definitely not from our Swarm. I repeat, Racing Spiders do not mess with us. However, like everything living, Spiders would defend themselves if they were attacked.”
“That makes no sense. Why would any Eeol attack spiders?”
“Now we are getting to the point, youngster. Remains you have seen aren’t ours at all.”
“Sir, I’m absolutely sure… I mean, I know what Eeol armor looks like. How could I not?”
The young Scout was positive there was no other species in the plains resembling Eeols that closely. Yes, there were Relatives, yet their armors were a different shape and color and much bigger in size, which sufficed to make mistaking impossible. This time Commander Ce had to be wrong.
But he looked firm and self-confident as always.
“That was not an Eeol” the Scoutmaster persisted. “
Not really. Not anymore.”
With a wave of hand, he signaled Xe to follow him into a descent.
“Actually,” he said quietly, “you don’t need me to teach you this because you already know. Haven’t you heard, youngster, back during your Internalhood, the tales of the Rogue Eeols?”
A shadow passed across Xe’s face. The Rogues. A name filthy to the ears of all who pledged to serve the Swarm.
“Sure. Eeols? No, those abominations aren’t Eeols by any account. So, that was a Rogue armor there in the nest?” The young Scout got it at last. “In that case, good riddance. I would rather see a flock of Green Hunting Flies than a Rogue.”
Without further talk, the youngster followed his Superior back to the pasture grounds.
There was nothing weird about his reaction as all normal Eeols loathed Rogues; creatures originating from them but being so very different.
If an Eeol Queen died having no heiress, the Song deprivation would inevitably drive her Eeols mad. They would undergo grave physical and mental changes, growing tall twice as normal and much stronger and faster with their armors turning yellow, the edges of their helmets serrated, and their weaponry dreadfully powerful. In the end, insanity would seize their minds, making Rogue Eeols to abandon their Hives and drift aimlessly prowling without fear the densest thickets and expressing all sorts of irrational and bizarre behavior.
But the worst thing about Rogues was their horrid aggression. They have been known to attack blindly everything that moves including normal Eeols who, in return, hunted and slaughtered them mercilessly. That wasn’t difficult to do as Rogues were loners. Taking into account the high mortality rate from their lunatic conduct and winter hunger as they were rendered of honey production ability and unable to make supplies, it was no wonder Rogues were rare.
5.
A Death
This day started like any other.
Supreme BeraX7719 opened the Morning Rally by praising order and values of a community. The four Queen’s Servants stood behind him quietly the whole time, just observing and listening. At the rear of the wax prominence were two remaining Supremes surrounded by a small party of Eeols from their escort.
The Call of the Swarm Page 4
