The Call of the Swarm

by Melani Matejak

  They were not favorable.

  “Dragonflies are starting to swarm,” warned First Class CommanderGetaN1008, a Mission Commander for company one and one of the most experienced Scouts in the Swarm.

  All the Commanders sat in session in the Principal. Several hundred of them occupied the rings of seats that encircled a large waxy table reserved solely for Supremes. Xe had a place among the Greens in the most outer ring.

  “Flocks are entering meadows as we speak. My company was very lucky to slip by unnoticed by one forming down by the Stream. They won’t stay limited to the Stream range, that’s for sure, and no part of our territory can be marked safe.”

  The big room grew silent. Dragonfly flocks meant trouble; sometimes they could swell large enough to threaten full-size gathering swarms.

  Supreme BeraX7719 was first to break the silence, bumping his fingers on the glossy surface of the wax table.

  “So, the season is late, we all know that. Just one more reason to accelerate our plans. We are going to send as many Eeols in escort as needed to protect the young Queen until the Kings appear. After that, she will be safe with them.”

  The Commanders looked at each other.

  “We would have to stretch our forces over a large part of the land,” noted Swarm Leader LegaP9308, the Leader of swarm number one. He sat at the first ring of seats around the table among several other high-ranking Commanders.

  “We’ll stretch them and that’s it,” remarked Supreme LomoM0603. “The Wedding Flight must not be delayed.”

  The swarming of Dragonflies was utterly unpredictable. It usually occurred just once a year, but some summers saw two or three waves which were sometimes widely spaced. It was impossible to say how long the current swarming would last, and thus nobody made any further comments. Commanders were aware that safety couldn’t be granted under these circumstances, but striving for the best conditions was a luxury they couldn’t afford.

  “It’s settled, then,” concluded Supreme BeraX7719. “I therefore proclaim that the Assembly of Commanders has reached a decision on proceeding with the Wedding Flight. I’ll notify the Pages immediately to take the news to the Queen. I declare this session adjourned.”

  Like always, the Queen had the last word. No decisions of the Commanders, including those made by the Supremes, were obligatory for her but only in an advisory nature; she could decide to disregard any of them whenever she wished, and that was her right. However, under these circumstances it was unlikely.

  “Not good,” said Commander Ce shaking his head as he and Xe were leaving together. “A mess. Not good.”

  Even to inexperienced Xe’s judgment, the upcoming mission seemed perilous. “Can’t Superiors postpone a Flight? To wait just a little to see would the situation improve?”

  “I don’t believe that’s what Supremes are going to do.”

  Commander Ce had been right. In a short time, the Queen gave her answer. The orders were clear. The Wedding Flight of the young Queen had to be scheduled for the day after tomorrow.

  The Supreme Command made a final plan. All four gathering swarms and their accompanying Scouts were to be present on the field. Being the most distant from the Stream and other larger waters, the Black Soils Area has been chosen as the starting point of the Flight.

  “Our forces will be divided into one hundred evenly-sized parties,” instructed BeraX7719. “They will cover a broad perimeter around the young Queen’s position. Parties will be kept informed about her movements and may have to relocate accordingly.”

  That was because regular Flyers weren’t able to keep pace with the Queen who had to move with great speed in order to generate a Song loud enough to summon faraway Kings. The swarm of Kings was more than capable to ensure safety for her; they vastly outclassed regular Eeols in every field, being stronger beyond any comparison, and their extra-thick armors and admirable weaponry made them bold even against the fiercest bugs. Yet they needed some time to arrive to the scene, sometimes half a day or more.

  “Everybody will hold their positions with caution and look after the Queen. Once the Kings show up, parties will retreat to the Hive instantly,” concluded the Supreme, and with that the Evening Rally ended.

  Xe spent a restless night with an unclear premonition.

  The break of dawn came warm and humid. Just as Dragonflies liked it.

  It was time. Large masses of Flyers started to gather in the Central Chamber, pouring in from all directions. But Eeols were quiet and tense, feeling that this was not going to be a good day, and the red multitude stirred in a gloomy mood.

  In spite of a bad outlook, Supreme BeraX7719 made an effort to create a grandiose and vivid atmosphere in the crowded Central Chamber.

  “Eeols of the Swarm! We are gathered here today for a wonderful occasion, the Wedding Flight of our young Queen, who you are about to escort. The great cycle of life is going to continue. The Queen herself is very excited and happy for her daughter. Let good fortune be with us all.”

  Us, thought Xe, what an interesting choice of words; because he wasn’t coming. Supremes were remaining in the safety of the Hive, and naturally the Queen too, snug and comfortable in her cozy chamber at the lowest level of the underground. It was easy for them to talk.

  Standing behind the mouthy BeraX7719 and enclosed by a group of apprehensive Servants, the young Queen was beyond reach of general anxiety. This was her day and she shivered with joy. She was able to focus on the Wedding Flight only, and her first chance to leave the Hive and fly free under the clear blue skies.

  “The outside world is calling for me,” she cheered blissfully.

  According to the plan, Eeol forces had to be deployed before the young Queen was led out. Therefore, Flyers hurried to assemble into one hundred special parties, which were now huddled across the Central Chamber preparing for take-off.

  Unit 33 waited for orders from Second Class Commander DeraN0996 who was appointed Mission Commander for their party. It consisted of about half of scouting company three and some four hundred Gatherers. Scouts didn’t get evenly dispersed through the parties but were concentrated in ten of them; all others were made only of Gatherers mixed with the Watchers.

  Commander Ce looked upset and edgy. He was checking his hand gears time after time, popping out his spikes and blasters. Touched by time and a rough life, both were far from perfect conditions, but they served him quite well nonetheless.

  “You dislike this assignment, Sir?” asked Xe quietly.

  The Scoutmaster glowered at him and hesitated a moment, and then pulled his visor down. “It doesn’t matter what we like or dislike, Commander. The Queen issued an order and we obey.”

  Mission Commander DeraN0996 signaled lift-off to his party. He was a Scout too, and once had served in company three together with unit 33, so they knew him very well and respected his leadership.

  “Eeols, keep your eyes open,” he warned one last time. “Ceaseless vigilance is a must!”

  The grand operation rolled. Eeol parties were slowly flying out of the Hive in a red warping line. After switching to full velocity, they were advancing quickly toward the Black Soils Area.

  The usual chatter could not be heard today as the grave silence ruled over the red ranks. However, contrary to their fears, Eeols safely reached their predestinated location, and not a single foe turned up during the long voyage. They took it as a good sign; but then again, the day had just begun.

  Drifting high above the meadows, the Eeol formation expanded. Though being numerous, due to the size of the territory they had to cover the parties found themselves disturbingly remote from each other. Underneath, bourgeoning metallic vegetation grew lush and fairly dense on fertile black ground, yet Xe could distinguish individual erected stems of Pinna plants and even two large Grasshoppers dozing in the shade.

  Commander Ce approached, and Xe stiffened, hovering in midair between Da and Le. “Unit 33 in position, Sir! All clear!”

  “Good. Keep vigilant,” he remin
ded once more, leaving the small group to give his report to the Mission Commander.

  “Can anybody see the Queen?” asked Le.

  “No,” said Xe, not even bothering to look. “We are too aloof, trust me.”

  “I bet she’s having the time of her life,” she sighed, and then chuckled. “You know what, it’s a pity Go 83 isn’t here. She would smolder with envy, and it would be so fun to watch her face.”

  Xe smiled mildly.

  Truth be told, unit 33 missed Go. Regardless of her furious temper, she was one of them, a member of the gang, and her absence left a mark. Fortunately, the last time Xe had come for a visit she seemed to have recovered. Complaining about her tiny chamber and stupid Healers and everything, but that was Go and he took it as a proof she would be fit to rejoin them soon.

  Commander Ce flew past them at the head of small unit of nervous Gatherer Troopers. “No change. All clear.”

  Da has drawn his left spike to its full length and inspected it methodically, keeping himself occupied in that way.

  Quite the opposite, Le grew bored. She dangled her legs in the air and kept rubbing her visor. “Maybe the Kings have already turned up.”

  “I think not,” said Xe. “We would be informed.”

  “Let’s hope we’ll get the opportunity to see the swarm of Kings on their cruise, when the Queen is out of sight.”

  “Sure, Kings are such an impressive–” but then Xe winced.

  From the corner of his eye, he spotted them even before he could hear them.

  A huge flock sprung out of nowhere, and the sun glared off their blaster pipes. Shimmering in metallic blue-green and bolting forward on four swift wings, gigantic insects were emitting a spine-chilling buzz from powerful air-screws lined up on their armored backs.

  Dragonflies.

  All hell broke loose in a second.

  Dreadful insects opened fire immediately. Under the heavy shower of blazes, alarmed Eeols zigzagged, ducking and dodging to avoid whistling shots, but after getting cleared from direct line of fire they regrouped promptly and turned to fight back. They knew the giant creatures were too fast for escape, and with no places to hide taking a stand was their only chance of survival.

  “Hold positions! Return fire!” echoed the Commanders’ voices, muffled by sounds of the combat.

  Although Eeols joined forces and responded fiercely with their blasters, their fire power proved to be insufficient to repel the unrelenting flock. There were simply too many Dragonflies. The overpowered Eeol party dispersed into small groups, each ruthlessly chased by the hungry insects. Countless bodies blend into a mottled blur as mortal combat raged above the plains.

  Despite the chaos and confusion, unit 33 was still clinging together. High-pitched cries rung in the young Scouts’ ears as two huge Dragonflies were on their tail with the range diminishing at a horrible rate.

  “They are closing in!” yelled Le in panic, looking over her shoulder and trembling like a leaf in a windstorm. “We must shake them off somehow!”

  Xe pulled himself together. On his brisk command, the group made a sharp turn left and dodged hurling insects at the last moment.

  “Over here!” called Commander Ce from some point above, and the unit rushed up, merging with the larger group clustering there. Yet it didn’t help much, as several new Dragonflies joined the previous two and headed their way. Under heavy blaster fire, Eeols were scattered again, zigzagging desperately for their lives.

  “No! Watch out! Left flank!”

  “Stay together!”

  In a blurry flash, Xe saw one monstrous insect closing on Da. Without thinking, the young Scout pounced on the immense creature to defend his friend.

  A blue-green head, it alone way bigger than Xe, revolved toward the desperately fighting Eeol with jaws slashing viciously through the air, but his handspike somehow found its way to the buggy eye of the monster. Under Xe’s blow, that multi-faceted organ burst like a balloon, oozing foul brown matter, and the Dragonfly jerked back violently and shrieked. It flapped its shiny wings in frenzy and flew away.

  Still Xe didn’t have time to catch his breath.

  There was a small party exchanging blasts with a trio of Dragonflies, and glimpsing Commander Ce among the pinned Eeols the young Scout dashed at top velocity to help them. But it was too late as a fourth insect joined the attack from the opposite side putting the party in a deadly crossfire and none of them got away. Before Xe’s eyes, Commander Ce took a shot in the back and dropped like a stone.

  Xe screamed. There was no chance his Scoutmaster could survive that. Commander Ce was gone and he had to face it, yet he couldn’t. A part of him was refusing to believe it, because how could such a horrid thing be possible?

  Then a hideous, high-pitched buzz from somewhere extremely close forced him to snap back.

  Turning slowly, the young Scout discovered an enormous Dragonfly wafting gently just behind his back. Time seemed to stand still. At such close proximity, every detail of insect’s body was perfectly distinct and clear, and when the monster exhaled its warm breath brushed his cheeks. Xe felt like death had touched him.

  But the creature was already holding one mutilated Eeol body in its ferocious jaws and it appeared that one victim was enough for the carnivorous insect. The Dragonfly just made a shrilly fizz at Xe and then fluttered its shimmering blue-green wings to vanish quickly as lightning into the clear skies.

  All over the battlefield, other Dragonflies were also retreating.

  “Cease fire!”

  The blaster rumble died away, and an unnatural silence fell upon the scene.

  It immediately became clear why the Dragonflies had withdrawn. A huge rescue swarm was arriving at last, rolling over the landscape in swirling red waves. Its soft and calming buzzing reached the ears of a battered party like a sweet promise that everything would be just fine.

  But when Xe looked down, his stomach turned.

  The ground bellow was covered with Eeol carcasses and scattered pieces of red armors and severed arms and legs. The sad remains lay quietly between metallic plants. Commander Ce had to rest down there too, but Xe didn’t have the courage to look for his body.

  Suddenly, Te appeared and flew over to him, breathing hard. “I’m so happy to see you alive!”

  Xe attempted to reply, but his lips just pressed tightly instead.

  “Come. Others are waiting for us.”

  The surviving Scouts of unit 33 were gathering in the deep shadows of one lone Pima.

  Besides Commander Ce, the unit lost two other members in this catastrophe, Xe 80 and Go 88. Still, deaths of their peers were something that had happened before, and Scouts almost learned to cope with it. Loss of a Scoutmaster was something totally different and the unit felt beheaded. What now? Who would lead them and what would become of their unit?

  “This can’t be true!” Go 12’s voice was shaking and the young Eeoless looked like she was going to faint. “Commander Ce can’t be dead…”

  Le suppressed a weep. “What are we going to do?”

  Da stood mute, his arms sagging lifelessly with blaster tips on both of his wrists still pulled out. He didn’t care to pull them in.

  “All Commanders report in!”

  The summons came from the rescue swarm, which was created from the ten nearest parties with First Class Commander LegaS6667 assigned its Swarm Leader for the time being. While the bulk of the swarm remained airborne keeping watch over the terrain, a handful of Commanders followed by their assistant Troopers landed to meet the survivors.

  LegaS6667 observed the battleground with a grim expression on his face. All over the place, small groups of exhausted Eeols struggled to walk, gazing at the mutilated corpses heaped around them. “A massacre…”

  With immense effort, Xe dragged himself forward.

  “What’s the situation, Commander?” the Swarm Leader muttered.

  Xe swallowed and reported about three dead in his unit.

  “They were fighti
ng till the end,” he finished bitterly.

  Swarm Leader nodded in veneration. “Dedicated to their duty till the end. They were all good Scouts, every one of them. None deserved to die. There are no easy answers, Commander.”

  In short time, a dreary company was formed to take the corpses to the Gorge. Xe didn’t participate and kept at distance while carriers were picking up their sad load. But the mission had to continue, and only injured Eeols were permitted back to the Hive while the rest returned to duty being merged with various other parties. From their new position, unit 33 could now spot the young Queen darting in the distance, discernible as a tiny dot of bright gold flickering in the summer sun.

  It was in the middle of the afternoon when the Kings finally showed up. They came in a marvelous golden Troop counting more than a thousand gigantic and heavily armed figures, each of them hoping to be the one the young Queen would pick up for herself. Only after she has joined the safety of their ranks the Commanders declared the mission terminated.

  “Let’s get out of here,” they said with relief.

  Jaded tired, the Flyers reached the Hive a little before sunset. Thankfully, there were no further incidents on the return voyage.

  Shattered, Xe retreated to his sleeping chamber straight away, barely able to walk. It was spinning inside his skull. The shock was horrible and all he could do was to hang himself upside down and hope for merciful oblivion of sleep; but he stayed awake for a long time instead, sealed in the darkness of his armor and feeling so terribly alone.

  15.

  Farewell

  First thing the next morning, all Commanders were summoned to the Principle room. Buzzing slowly to the meeting, Xe overheard some grim stories along the way. Besides his party, eleven others had suffered assaults, some by Dragonflies and some by less fearsome but still blood-thirsty foes, and the casualty list climbed to four hundred dead in total.

  Yet when Xe reached the Principle, he found the general atmosphere to be bright and joyous. The young Queen had come back late in the evening; for her the Wedding Flight went off perfectly well and the mood was celebratory. Everybody talked about the approaching division of the Swarm; a key theme of the current meeting. The four Supremes sat blissfully at the central table, glowing with satisfaction and discussing something between them in such a cheerful way that the young Scout couldn’t believe his eyes and ears.