The Call of the Swarm

by Melani Matejak

  That comforted the shaken Eeols a bit.

  The general mood among the Scouts has changed now, growing depressingly dark. Early in the morning in the Central Chamber, instead of joking and laughing as before, Scouts were awaiting the orders for departure in silence. The merriness disappeared even from off-duty time as they swapped causality lists between units. Horror crept in the lives of the young Troopers and their spirits plummeted.

  Xe was no exception. He often felt gloomy and started to sleep poorly; at moments it seemed to him he was going to break down. Grinding his teeth, he would force himself to endure, not just for himself but for his unit to which he had to set an example.

  And it wasn’t happening just to them. All Flyers of the Swarm were getting hammered heavily, scouting companies and the gathering swarms alike. Casualties began to fall on a regular basis and Evening Rallies turned into a sad roll call of the deceased.

  “It’s the season to blame,” explained Supreme BeraX7719 in a somber voice. “We are entering the most dangerous part of the year. Warm and moist weather make flowering plants thrive, but these are also perfect conditions for hostile creatures. One thing can bring both good and evil, Eeols.”

  He paused a little. “And the worst is yet to come. Various carnivore species will have their swarming season starting soon and that means you are going to encounter the enemy in much larger groups. Still, don’t lose your spirits, Eeols, but be strong and brave. The Queen calls on all of you to face the hardships boldly and courageously as true members of the Swarm.”

  Easy for her to say when she is not the one out there, thought Xe while peeking from one of the countless openings sieving the walls of the Central Chamber. She didn’t have to witness her friends being killed or maimed. Contemplating the losses was real torture for Xe these days and he couldn’t stop recalling his friend Za. It was like Da had said; for a while, friends were around and the gang was having a great time together, and then they would be gone.

  However, the more pleasant part of the Rally followed. It was the appointment of new Commanders, and Supreme BeraX7719 pulled back giving way to BeraS3111 to come forward on the verge of the waxy prominence. The old Eeoless was carrying a thin wax plate scribbled with names.

  She was quiet for a Supreme, which was very different from the leading member of the Supreme Command she shared her batch with. Supremes have never quarreled between themselves, Xe realized. Perhaps they were too wise for it, or more likely it was because wily BeraX7719 hand-picked the new members, choosing those who won’t question his authority and for which he could be sure they would comply with all his directives.

  Supreme BeraS3111 started to read the promotion list and Xe winced when he heard his name. It completely slipped his mind that Commander Ce had mentioned his incoming promotion a while ago. He was indeed appointed a Commander, a Green, and he felt great pride knowing he deserved it. Good news was welcomed; at least there was something good happening in these bleak times.

  Supreme BeraX7719 spoke once more at the end.

  “My congratulations to all who got promoted today, and in particular to those Troopers who were just upgraded to the rank of Commander, climbing this crucial first step. Greens, you are given a great responsibility. Be worthy of it and act in accordance with your new status! Commanders are pillars of the community, role models for their Subordinates and protectors of the rules and order!”

  Xe rolled his eyes, wondering how long this closing speech is going to last.

  He dipped into his thoughts again. One other piece of good news these days was that unit 33 has gotten their much desired sleeping chambers in the east side instead of the despised south part. Commander Ce had obviously talked the Superiors into adjusting their replacement plans; maybe simply as a reward for the wretched unit hit so badly with tragedies. Anyhow, the young Scouts were so happy over the ‘better’ chambers and grateful to their Scoutmaster for his willingness to mediate in this matter.

  “… don’t forget that. Dismissed.”

  The Evening Rally ended and Xe turned to leave when he was hailed by some Eeol unknown to him. He was buzzing slowly in his direction and the Scout halted, stepping aside to make room for the passing masses. With a closer look, something was familiar to him after all.

  The hailer softly landed next to him and nodded. “Remember me, Commander XeraM6697?”

  His features definitely weren’t strange, but Xe couldn’t place the face. “I…”

  He smiled friendly at him, again in a very familiar way. “Commander NakaC5602. I was your mentor during Training.”

  “Oh, yes!” The old days snapped before Xe’s eyes. “I’m very glad to see you again, Sir!”

  “Same with me. You are already a Green? It takes a lot for a Scout to advance so fast. I was Green when I taught you… now I’m a Third Class, and maybe soon a Second, the way things are going lately,” he said with a sigh. Although Commanders weren’t falling at such a high rate as the lower ranks, their losses were far harder to compensate.

  But Xe had no wish to talk about bad stuff. “Where are you serving, Sir?” he asked in a jolly voice to offset any spark of the poor mood.

  “Swarm number two. I have just turned Master of Watchers, so I lead my own unit now. It’s the Watcher unit 109.”

  “Watchers, Sir?” Xe was puzzled. “I have no recollection of that. Actually, if somebody asked me about my mentor, I would swear you were a Gatherer.” He was surprised how his memory betrayed him as it wasn’t so long ago. No, he corrected himself, it was a long, long time ago. In another life.

  Commander Na smiled again. “Well, the truth is, I didn’t talk much about myself. When you are a mentor, you are not supposed to. You must speak only on subjects directly related to the Starters’ training. That’s the rules.”

  “Rules,” Xe hissed. “The Hive rules, the Swarm rules, the Queen’s rules. I’m becoming sick of rules!” He was amazed that he said that aloud, but he couldn’t suppress it anymore. Sometimes he even wondered if he wouldn’t be better off living all alone.

  “Rules are rules,” replied Commander Na. “There must be order. We are not Rogues but a part of the Swarm. But listen,” he continued as he put his hand on the young Scout’s shoulder, “I was just going to visit some friends in the Watchers’ Chamber. Come with me. We will have a chat and tell stories, and it’s going to be fun.”

  As a matter of a fact, Xe was quite tired, but he never saw the Watchers’ Chamber before so he forced himself to forget the fatigue and accepted Commander Na’s invitation.

  The Watchers’ Chamber was located just above the Gate. The large force of Watchers protecting the only entrance to the Hive was stationed there, guarding it ceaselessly day and night. Entry to the Chamber was restricted and granted solely to Watchers, but one of the Masters on duty, Commander Na’s friend, had made an exception.

  The Chamber itself turned out to be very large, glowing with a weak green shine of wax and having its floor slightly littered by wax rubble just like any other part of the Hive interior. Its walls bore numerous perforations which permitted a direct view of the Gate underneath and also to the outside. Thanks to several hallways opening to the Chamber, Watchers could depart quickly to sound the alarm or defend the Gate.

  Watchers of the Gate were more respected than Watchers of the Swarms from whose ranks they were recruited. Xe logically concluded that it was Commander Na’s ambition to become one too, yet his former mentor denied such a wish.

  “I was thinking about it, as I already qualify, but I would miss flying and seeing the outer world too much. Besides, it’s a little boring here.”

  Xe eased down on to a round piece of wax opposite to Commander Na’s friend. “Not much action here?”

  Several other Watchers were sitting around them too, engaging in rather quiet conversation. Just behind Xe some big fellow was polishing his huge red spike, seeming oblivious to what they were saying.

  “Action? Fortunately, no.” Master shook his head. “
Who would want the opposite to be true anyway? During the day it is especially quiet. Very rarely do we have some dumb Hunting Fly attempting to break into the Hive, and once there was a Spider. Yes, Flea Beetles appear regularly on the sill of the Gate, as they got everywhere, little buggers, but we simply sweep them off. Our biggest problem is Moths trying to sneak into the Hive by night.”

  “You are talking about Chaos Monger Butterflies?”

  The Master’s forehead frowned. “No. Those are unstoppable.” He couldn’t help shuddering a bit despite trying to look tough. “But rare. Those are just nocturnal Moths that were attracted by the scent of honey; harmless creatures, and easy to scare off. As for the Killer Moths, they are way too smart to try something that foolish.”

  With a hissing sound, one of the Watchers behind them drew out a blaster point from his left wrist, studying its condition thoughtfully.

  Xe stayed in the Watchers’ Chamber until late in the night.

  Mercifully, quests were going to be a little more pleasant for young Scouts. Mending from his wounds, First Class Commander DeraB1044 was back in charge as their Mission Commander, and they felt safer with him having the lead, not to mention far more content than with that nervous shouter and poor excuse for a Mission Commander, DeraR9726.

  Moreover, unit 33 changed assignments. Due to some whim of the Superiors, they were again serving full-time in scouting company three, quitting partial service in company one, and Xe had no problem with that at all. It also meant a drastically lesser chance for some new fights with Wa 17. Although the trouble-maker did stop provoking them since their big success with the sugar-dew, he was totally unpredictable and one never knew what he would come up with next.

  One windy morning, scouting company three emerged from the Gate and turned northwest. This time it was fairly large, consisting of 14 Scout units. It was silent and the rustling of metallic vegetation below sounded like the plants were whispering to each other.

  Today was a special occasion for unit 33. Commander Ce was not with them as a sprained ankle forced him to remain in the Hive for a couple of days, and consequently unit 33 was temporarily flying under Xe’s leadership. For the very first time, he was officially appointed a Scoutmaster, and if his armor were to allow he would bloat with honor.

  Little by little, his friends got used to regarding him as their Superior and addressing him as Sir didn’t sound awkward any longer. His new status did not weaken the bond between them. On the contrary, the small group was tighter than ever; having to confront the harsh and unforgiving outer world, they could rely on nobody else but on each other.

  Unit 33 wasn’t very chatty today. Neglecting his duty by not being cautious was the last thing Xe wanted to do on his first day of service as a Scoutmaster. All Troopers in the unit tried to do their best too as they were aware that Commanders were given orders to survey them and report to the Supremes on their performance.

  The scouting company buzzed silently, monitoring the monotonous landscape consisting of brown and scarcely grown flatlands. The gathering swarms had fed in this area a brief time ago and therefore its pastures were exhausted for the time being. Eeols had to fly further, to the outskirts of their territory.

  As usual, black-armored Ants could be seen roaming the flatlands on their powerful wheels, scuttling and jumbling between giant plants. Xe looked down at them with hatred. Since that grisly incident with Pa 7, he didn’t consider them interesting anymore and frankly, if it was his call, he would shoot them all. Yet Superiors didn’t allow such a waste of time and energy. The Ants were far too numerous for effective reduction, and in addition to that they were destroying many hostile creatures as well.

  Flying at considerable velocity, the company covered a good portion of land but without any findings. Sometimes it just happened that way, even during the bountiful part of the season. Finally, the Scouts reached the edge of the extensive rocky zone which marked the west border of their territory, where the bizarrely shaped stony protuberances have protracted into the flatlands like huge monstrous fingers. Here the terrain was very rough, cleft with chasms and full of towering peaks; being depleted of vegetation almost completely, it offered nothing to Eeols.

  The company just intended to turn around and buzz off when something in the vicinity drew the Scouts’ attention.

  At first glance it resembled a low dark cloud drifting in the wind. But that was no cloud of any sort, but Lesser Black Hunting Flies swarming; an enormous flock containing hundreds of these ugly bugs hung like a live twister above the bare cliffs and pivoted. Their buzzing was audible even over a great distance.

  Quickly responding to DeraB1044’s alarm, the frightened company scampered into a nearby crevice to hide. Managing to slip in at the last moment before the Flies noticed them, Eeols were packed together in tiny space clinking armors against one another and barely daring to breathe.

  “Keep quiet,” a desperate whisper resonated trough the crevice.

  DeraB1044 was kneeling amidst the shaken crowd of Commanders looking very disturbed. “Flies are too close! With their keen sense of smell, they are bound to detect us sooner or later. We can’t stay here!”

  Everybody knew that the threatening swarm was not going to leave. It drifted so close there was no guarantee they wouldn’t be caught if they attempted to flee. Eeols were usually able to outfly the Hunting Flies, but over short distances it was the armored insects that had the advantage. And a direct clash when outnumbered would spell a catastrophe for Scouts.

  The Commanders were silent, until somebody said, “Decoys.”

  “My Scouts will volunteer,” said Commander TeraX8891 straight away. He was the Scoutmaster of unit 25, the fastest in their company. Unit 33 didn’t fall a lot behind it, though. “My unit can outrace the Flies. We’ll distract them and drive at least some of them away. That would give a small party the chance to sneak out for help.”

  Xe sprung up to his feet. “Unit 33 will go, Sir! We are the fastest after unit 25.”

  “That might work,” reckoned the Commander with a round yellow mark placed exactly in the middle of her chest. “The gathering swarm number two shouldn’t be too far. It’s worth a shot.”

  DeraB1044 considered the proposed tactic for a moment. “All in favor?”

  The Commanders looked at each other. “We have no other choice.”

  The Scouts of the chosen units had no problem with these daring tasks when the Superiors summoned them. “We’ll go. It’s our duty,” they all confirmed after hearing the plan.

  The Scoutmasters organized their Troopers. Both units crept out carefully so not to give away the position of the company while the remaining Eeols pulled back to the most distant corner of the hollow. Peering out from the edge of the crack, they could see unit 25 darting flank-wise of the huge twirling swarm and dozens of hideous Flies parting from it to chase them. Unit 33 slipped by unnoticed, and they were now rushing east to the projected location of gathering swarm two; the small dots of red that soon disappeared in the sky.

  After that, a terrible silence dropped upon the crevice.

  Scared Eeols were finding some solace in the group; indeed, any of them would be driven mad if forced to wait here alone. It was very cold in the crevice and the stone floor felt uncomfortably hard. Outside, the bulk of the Fly swarm resumed its twirling, hovering a bit nearer to the crack.

  The time dragged sluggishly; the long moments, each one longer than the previous, were passing slowly. Outside, the morning drew to its end, and the sun was climbing to the zenith.

  And at last there was a sudden sound the Eeol company craved so much to hear. The soft buzzing, both calming and thrilling at the same time, echoed across the rocky zone.

  Taking a peek out, the Scouts observed with delight the huge Eeol swarm chasing the Flies away. Here and there some ugly armored insect would break off from the flock and turn around to resist just to be effortlessly wiped out by the rolling red waves.

  While Eeols in the crevice rejoic
ed preparing to emerge, Xe and his unit were mustered in the shade of a nearby cliff. Separated from the majority of the forces, they were accompanied by the small party of Troopers and Commanders. Among them stood First Class Commander HotoL8785, the Swarm Leader of gathering swarm number two.

  “I would say your company hasn’t been discovered by the enemy. Excellent work, Scouts, you got us in time.”

  “We just did our duty, Sir.”

  “I’ll send somebody to the crevice to check their status.”

  That showed unnecessary as several Scouts from the company flew over to them. Landing next to the Swarm Leader and hailing him, they reported that Mission Commander DeraB1044 had assembled his Eeols and was to join the gathering swarm immediately.

  “We should look for unit 25 now, Sir,” urged Xe. “Their chances are growing slimmer with each passing moment. They went that way.” He pointed toward the rocky mesa bluing in the distance.

  “No,” said the Swarm Leader.

  The young Scout winced. “Excuse me, Sir?”

  “You heard me, Commander. We are not going after them. I won’t risk entering the rocky zone. In fact, we must leave this instant before our presence attracts new swarms of Flies. Unit 25 will have to pull out on their own.”

  Under his gray transparent visor, Xe’s eyes widened. “With respect, Sir, that’s nineteen lives we are talking about. We can’t just leave them!”

  “We can and we will, Commander.” The Swarm Leader’s tone hardened. “As you know, Grabbing Flies don’t just lie down and let you slay them, and I had quite a few wounded in this charge alone. If I took my swarm deeper into the rocky zone, we are bound to hit new clusters and it’s likely our body count would climb much higher than nineteen.” He gestured in the direction of the heart of the rocky zone where some vague silhouettes were looming above the sharp cliffs; whirling clouds of three other Fly swarms revolving lazily in the midair.

  “Besides, my swarm was recently shrunken with transfers, and it’s now less than five thousand Eeols strong. No, Commander, we are returning. Rejoin your scouting company and get ready for departure.”