The Call of the Swarm

by Melani Matejak

  It turned out the Supreme Command had opted for some massive reconstructions. In order to have brand new quarters for the incoming Flyers, they bid tearing down and rebuilding of the entire section of sleeping chambers. Having so many chambers temporarily out of commission, it called for substantial rearrangements in the residential assigments which yielded certain undesirable solutions for unit 33.

  “This is preposterous!” exclaimed Go.

  That was the rare case that her friends supported her. Assembled in the Central Chamber, the young Scouts were racketing and stamping their feet with dissatisfaction.

  Commander Ce crossed his arms over his chest. “Scouts, I don’t see where the problem is.”

  “Supremes want to move us out of our present rooms, Sir!”

  “They are scheduled for demolition. And?”

  “We refuse to accept poor rooms in the south sections!” they all cried at once.

  “How do you mean poor? They are exactly the same.”

  Xe sighed.

  It became common knowledge among the Troopers that the sleeping chambers on the south side weren’t good. They were claimed to be hot and stuffy, an idea that was ludicrous as the Hive had an excellent ventilation system mitigating any variations between its parts. But the mass of Troopers stubbornly believed in the opposite, and quite frankly, Xe doubted if it was possible to convince them otherwise.

  That was why he sided with his unit and asked to talk in private with Commander Ce.

  “Irrational and totally foolish,” concluded Commander Ce after Xe explained things to him. “And you are insinuating that I should support such ridiculous demands?”

  “As a matter of a fact, I am. Please, Sir, give them west or east sections. There’s no point in trying to reason with them, trust me on that.”

  “The Supremes have their reasons for putting you in the south… but, fine. I’ll talk to them and maybe I can get their plans changed a little. Now enough babbling and prepare for the flight.”

  Prospects for quests today haven’t been the best. In addition to be cut small again, their scouting company had the misfortune to get First Class Commander DeraR9726 for a Mission Commander. He was indeed a poor choice for this important position, and Xe, who witnessed him shouting and insulting his subordinates on multiple occasions, wondered how such a nervous individual had earned his promotion in the first place. Due to the lack of Commanders, probably?

  “I can’t stand him,” Xe complained to Commander Ce while company three was assessing their first find of the day; a vast Farra flowerfield.

  “Patience, Scout, he won’t stay with us for long. He is here only because First Class Commander DeraB1044 is temporarily unfit for duty.”

  Their usual Mission Commander was attacked by a Green Grabbing Fly and he sustained injuries; not the serious ones, but they incapacitated him for several days.

  The young Trooper had to restrain himself, stifling numerous grumbles, and he had to control his unit too. Da, who was the most aggressive Scout in their group, still suffered from depression which rendered him quiet and passive; Commander Ce kept an eye on Go, and the first day passed without incidents.

  The next day, company three’s seeking results were rather disappointing.

  After several failed attempts, the Scouts landed in a slightly hilly region to check out a thin meadow consisting of five different kinds of flowering plants. It was almost noon and the great plains were shrouded in sultriness.

  Wary as always, the Scouts started patrolling. Securing the area took the unit 33 away from the majority of their company, yet they were still able to see them. Xe actually preferred having some distance between him and their current Mission Commander.

  The sought meadow possessed favorable qualities like being scantily grown and plentiful with blossoms, but it also fringed a dark and dense thicket. Founded by large thick-stemmed plants raising tall under a canopy of blooming vines, it was entangled all over by all sorts of climbing plants and creepers; green and brassy leaves of many shapes fought between themselves literary for the each ray of the sun.

  “This is not the place to bring the gathering swarm.” Xe made his evaluation as a small patrol walked along the leafy edge of a thicket.

  “That’s correct,” agreed Commander Ce sourly. “We are to abort the check and leave. Stay prepared for the departure order.”

  “Why did we come here in the first place, Sir?” protested Go. “Was it not perfectly clear from the air this meadow was no good?”

  “We’ve just wasted time,” objected Xe 60 too. “It will muck up our overall results!”

  “Lower your voices, Scouts,” scowled Commander Ce, who didn’t appear to be in good mood either.

  “But that’s true, Sir!” Go almost went screaming. “Somebody should say something when DeraR9726 leads us incompetently like this!”

  “Quiet!” ordered Commander Ce sharply. “You’ll follow orders, Scouts, and no further discussion.”

  A group of Commanders waved at the unit from a distance, signaling Commander Ce to join them. There was obviously some counseling in progress, and he rushed to meet them, kicking along his way one exposed root which was protruding from the earth all scaly and hairy looking. The young Troopers stayed behind, clustering by the green wall of a thicket.

  Now when their Scoutmaster was gone, two hotheads started to feel uncomfortable.

  “Look what you did,” Le said crossly to Xe 60. “You made Commander Ce angry!”

  Xe 60 looked around in embarrassment. Everybody stared at him accusingly.

  “Go 83 started it,” he blurted to defend himself. “She was the one to yell.”

  “I wasn’t yelling!” protested Go heatedly. “I was just speaking a little loud!”

  “It was very rude to talk to Commander Ce like that, both of you,” remarked Go 6. “Not only because he’s our Superior, but also due to the fact he’s always been so good to us, supportive and fair. Where could we find a better Commander? We owe him the highest respect in return.”

  “And it’s not his fault a bad meadow was picked up,” added Le. “What could he do about that? He is not a Mission Commander.”

  Xe 60 jumped forward. “I didn’t say–”

  But suddenly there was a terrible crashing sound, and the lush green wall next to them burst into a blurry whirl of leaves and vine shreds.

  A black Ant head flashed from a thicket, together with a segmented leg with a sharp cutting blade that got Pa 7 by his right shoulder and severed his arm off.

  The Scouts didn’t have the time to think, only to react.

  Being the closest to the victim, Da deflected the next blow of the black metallic blade with his hand spikes while others popped out their blasters. As they opened fire, head and the leg pulled back into the dense foliage, vanishing as abruptly as it had appeared and leaving a broad opening in the green leafy wall.

  The Scouts carried their unconscious friend away from the thicket as gentle as they could. His body was shaking and yellow blood spurted relentlessly from the terrible wound. Fortunately, Commander Ce reappeared, and with his help the Scouts managed to stop the bleeding by combining their wax with pieces of vegetation.

  “We must take him to the Hive immediately,” said Commander Ce in a grave tone. “Let’s hope he’ll make it. DadoY3961, you are hurt too?”

  Da wiped several drops of blood from his flank. “A few shallow cuts, Sir. I’m still able to fly.”

  “Damned Ants. Great guzzlers, they are, and ravenous for the taste of blood, even though they rarely get a chance with us.”

  Notified about the incident, all the other Scouts gathered around. The seeking mission was cancelled, and the whole company was to return with unit 33 taking the shortest way home.

  Xe and Go were carrying their injured friend, and Le buzzed next to them attending to his wound and making sure it won’t start to bleed again. The great plains were dozing in the heat and the scouting company managed to make its way without further
incident. Pa 7 remained unconscious the whole time.

  In the Hive, the group of Healers were called right away as unit 33 brought the mutilated Scout to his chamber. They were nothing more than regular Flyers experienced with treating injuries that switched to this job once they were too old for active service.

  Their evaluation was mildly optimistic.

  “Not too bad,” they said after looking at the wounded Scout. “Definitely not beyond hope as he didn’t lose too much blood. It’s important that our friend survives the night; in that case he will probably recover.”

  Pa 7 was laid on a cozy waxy frame which was crafted for him by sticking together several large pieces of wax rubble. Company three returned back to work but unit 33 stayed by his side, everybody except Commander Ce who had to see the Supremes to report the appalling event.

  Packed tight in the small chamber, the young Scouts waited patiently for the development of situation. Two Healers remained with them as well and attended to the wounded in regular intervals. Pa 7 didn’t regain consciousness, but sometime near dawn the older Healer declared, “Our friend is out of danger. He is going to recover.”

  “But he’s maimed for life,” said Xe bitterly.

  “He’s alive,” she highlighted in a rather cold voice. “Sure, he can’t be a Scout any more, but there are other options. The Master of Internals is a good job as it’s awarding and fulfilling.”

  Da gave Xe a resigned look. “Better than being dead.”

  The Healer smiled dryly. “It’s often cripples who live the longest.”

  Soon after that, Commander Ce turned up, and out of respect the young Troopers made room for him. He was reluctant to step into the chamber.

  “I’m very glad he is getting better,” said the Scoutmaster, hearing the Healers’ report on Pa 7’s condition. “But in the meantime, there is more bad news. Scout unit 46 has gone missing without a trace.”

  “Unit 46?” asked Xe. No matter how drowsy the long vigil had rendered him, he snapped back to attention as the alarming news cleared his mind in a second. “What about Scout Za? What exactly happened, Sir?”

  “Just missing, all of them,” said Commander Ce hesitantly, knowing those two had been friends. “Nobody knows what happened. Yesterday morning unit 46 was ordered to split from the main company to patrol some harmless-looking groves and they didn’t come back. Several parties went looking for them, but so far no clue to the mystery has been found.”

  This can’t be happening, thought Xe.

  “I must return to the Commanders’ area,” said Commander Ce. “I’ll let you know if there is further news.”

  After he left, unit 33 continued keeping their vigil. They were already considering quitting and retreating to their sleeping chambers when Pa 7 finally awoke.

  He looked at them vaguely through his gray visor, pale and weak. His helmeted head still trembled a little. “Where am I…?”

  The blissful Scouts heaped around his waxy bed. Go, who was the closest, pulled his visor up and took his hand. “Home, good fellow. Don’t be afraid, you are safe now. How do you feel? Are you in pain?”

  “Not… much,” he mumbled in a faint voice. He was baffled as he pulled himself to a half-sitting position and discovered there was nothing where his right hand used to be. Two healers tenderly got him back to the lying position.

  “You should leave now,” said the older Healer. “Your friend needs to rest. Come back later.”

  Unit 33 nodded and buzzed toward the exit, when Pa 7’s feeble cry stopped them. “Hey, fellows. Thank you for getting me out alive.”

  Everybody smiled warmly. “You are welcome.”

  The exhausted Troopers went straight to their sleeping quarters, all except Xe who rushed to the Central Chamber instead. No matter how drained and fatigued he was, he simply couldn’t settle without getting more information on his friend Za.

  In the Chamber, the Morning Rally just finished.

  The huge red mass of Eeols was starting to disperse, with Flyers scuttling to their swarms and companies undergoing preparations for taking off. Xe paid no attention to them, but entered one of the openings in the fenestrated walls that took him to the maze within. He was buzzing around until he spotted a small party going down the hallway that led off the waxy prominence straight to the underground. Supreme BeraX7719 walked in the front tailed by several Commanders providing him an escort as and four Queen’s Servants.

  “Hail, Sirs! Trooper XeraM6697. What is the latest news regarding missing Scout unit 46?”

  The Supreme looked at him coldly, not bothering to stop. “Nothing has been found, Trooper, no sign of the missing unit whatsoever. As the night has passed, the lost Scouts are now presumed dead and the search has been called off.”

  Xe’s legs felt like water.

  “The search can’t be called off!” he yelled in shock. “Sir! We’ve got to find them!”

  The Supreme waived his hand. Responding promptly, one of the Commanders grasped the agitated Scout from behind and dragged him off, enabling the party to proceed; moving swiftly, they disappeared in lower corridors.

  “Simmer down, Trooper,” the Commander said firmly.

  “But, Sir…”

  “Those Scouts are dead. Anybody missing for more than a day is not coming back, that’s a fact, and SupremeBeraX7719 is right. There would be no point in prolonging the search. Face it, Trooper, unit 46’s gone.”

  The fate of the lost Scout unit remained a mystery forever.

  13.

  Watchers of the Gate

  Over the next few days, the attacks from all kinds of foes just kept intensifying. Xe and his friends had no time to recover from the recent tragedy; ready or not, they had to take a stand and fight. The situation was simply demanding it, and there was no room for weakness.

  Only five days after the gruesome incident with an Ant, the entire scouting company three found itself in peril. Flying low during the seeking, Scouts ran into a large flock of Long-legged Grabbing Flies; there were at least forty or fifty of them. Confronted with a relatively small Eeol party, the ugly armored insects showed no fear but assembled to strike. The Commanders issued orders to fight, and the Scouts quickly aligned into a defensive formation, tightening their ranks. Hovering still in the air, the company looked like a red blot on the blue sky.

  “Remember, Eeols, unity!” Commander Ce yelled to his Scouts. “Every one of you is part of the swarm and should act as such. Hold your position, that’s the most important. At first you are going to fire on command and later at will. If any Fly penetrates our line, you must not use blasters but spikes. Stick together, and don’t chase individual Flies. Get ready!”

  Xe was shivering as he drew his blasters out.

  Carnivorous Flies arranged into a wide attacking formation, buzzing aggressively in an abominable coarse tone. They halted briefly, drifting free in the air while evaluating their target, and their thick blue-colored armors glittering brightly in the sun. Then they charged quickly nearing the Eeol party. The disgusting armored insects were growing bigger and more intimidating by each passing moment.

  Commander Ce was shouting, “Steady, steady!”

  His words had a surprisingly encouraging effect. The Scoutmaster’s mere presence meant a lot to Xe, boosting his courage and helping him to shake off his fear. Reassured, he pointed his weapon toward the approaching enemy.

  “Fire!”

  The great flatlands echoed with the mighty thunder of Eeol blasters.

  Several charging Flies dropped into a downward spiral, but the initial fire wasn’t powerful enough to stop the majority of the flock; chopping their massive metallic jaws, the horrid enemy kept closing in until two parties brutally collided.

  The result was a messy jumble. The voices of the Commanders were lost in the general confusion as Eeol cries and screams intermingled with the revolting fizzles of Flies. Caught amidst the obscure clutter, Xe was stabbing around himself in frenzy, unable to judge if his spikes were hitting
anything.

  Yet the clash itself lasted amazingly brief.

  The scouting company managed to repel the pack, and the surviving Flies fled in haste with twenty eight bugs left lying on the ground. Oozing foul yellow blood, some creatures were still jerking in agony. But it was a bittersweet victory for the Scouts as they had suffered fatalities on their side as well. Six dead, all in all; unit 33 lost Xe 17.

  There was no break. The Scouts had to continue their mission. Just eight days after the battle with the Long-legged another incident occurred in which ill-fated Go sustained nasty injuries.

  This time unit 33 was sticking with the gathering swarm number one feeding on the lovely pasture in the Black Soils Area. The terrain was flat and open, and they hoped they would be safe among the huge mass of their kind; but once more, they were wrong.

  Eeols knew in advance that there was a Smaller Millipede hidden inside a sizable log that was decomposing on the ground by some marks the creature had carved into it. The Troopers surrounded the log in large numbers which would allow them to destroy the detested bug with no trouble. But they didn’t expect the Millipede would mindlessly jump out of its shelter and charge into the open.

  The savage creature attacked with everything it had. It blazed long pink blasters shaped like narrow metal pipes with trumpet-like endings and used its clawed legs and fierce mouth and also the clubbing power of its elongated armored trunk. Although it had fallen quickly under unforgiving Eeol blows, the cost was high; among many others Go went down by suffering a venomous bite.

  Once again, unit 33 gathered in a sleeping chamber with the Healers, who were quickly summoned as the large party carrying the wounded reached the Hive. The young Troopers gathered around another waxy frame just like the last time. Lying unconscious on it, Go was breathing heavily.

  Fortunately, her prognosis wasn’t grave.

  “Your friend will survive,” said the Healer consoling unit 33. “The healing process is going to be long as the Millipede venom is potent, but she will recover, maybe even enough to return to scouting.”