The Call of the Swarm

by Melani Matejak

  There was a fizzy youngster at the left end of the array wearing a distinctive yellow marking blazing like a star on his helmet just above the visor. His red armor glistened so smooth that Xe’s fingers involuntarily ran to rub a scar on his own armor; it felt so raspy and uneven. He pulled his hand back and nobody seemed to notice this.

  “My name is Jo, Sir!” he cried with youthful energy, taking a stride out of the line.

  Xe crossed his arms over his chest.

  “Starter, when you report for duty, you do that with your full name. Is that clear? Again!”

  The youngster nodded quickly and repeated even more zealously, “JoraY0186 is the name, Sir! Best in class! I love challenges and seek adventures in this big wide world!”

  A shadow passed over Xe’s face. “Be careful what you wish for, youngster, because you might get it. Next!”

  The following one was tall and strongly built and very heavily armed. “FeppaT7131, Sir! Doing my duty is my focus, Sir! I serve the Hive and my Queen with pride, and I aspire to become a Commander myself soon, Sir!”

  Oh great, thought Xe, just the kind I needed. “That’s commendable, Starter. Next!”

  “HabbaM3202, Sir,” said flatly the youngster with only five batteries at each side of his belt. That wasn’t abnormal; some Eeols simply happened to grow ten batteries instead of the usual twelve. His voice was quite indifferent and he gave the impression of being smooth-tempered. “I guess everything is good for me, Sir.”

  Next was the Eeoless. Thin, somewhat fragile, and the shortest in the bunch. When she had turned a few moments ago she showed quite a large air-screw with fans bearing golden tips.

  “VeraB8267,” she said looking at the ground. There was something in her tone Xe disliked, a sort of whining or whatever; and by the grunt from behind, he could tell Go wasn’t fond of her either.

  Then there was a pair that really caught his attention.

  “We are Se and Se, SeraB5307 and SeraB9511, Sir! The two bodies but one mind! We stick together since we can remember and will keep doing it forever. That’s our pledge, Sir!” And they even looked similar, including their marking patterns.

  Xe smiled broadly as they reminded him of Pa 2 and Pa 7 in the good old days. “Friendship is one of the finest things you’ll find in life, youngsters. Cherish it with care.”

  “SeraY1141, Sir,” said the second Eeoless. She looked quite indistinctive, perhaps a little older than the rest.

  The last one was the nervous fellow with the large patch of discoloration smote on his lower abdomen. Of unknown origin, as it was said. His visor was brownish-gray, darker than average. “BoloD5806, Sir. Hope to be a good Scout,” he added with tension.

  “Right, Starters,” said Xe sternly. “One thing must be clear from the start. You are Scouts now, and you have to conduct yourself accordingly. There will be no fooling around in this unit! Discipline is of a crucial matter.”

  “Yes, Sir!” replied the young bunch. “Understood, Sir!”

  Xe was doubtful that they truly understood, given their level of knowledge. But the youngsters glared at him with awe and respect and with no reservations. He was their Superior and was supposed to lead and support in the harsh world, and Xe wondered if he could deliver.

  “Although your training is over, it doesn’t mean you are done with learning. The hardest lessons are still ahead of you. While we wait for our Scoutmaster, you will show me what you know. You there, JoraY0186, halt! Not so fast, back in line! Order, Starters, and move only on my mark. You are not Rogues!”

  After few minor problems in the beginning, the old members of Unit 33 found their recruits to be agile and quite skillful. The youngsters did more than decent in flying and maneuvering and even in the basics of pasture seeking techniques and area securing protocols, clearly having potential to develop into excellent Scouts in the future.

  If they lived that long, thought Xe grimly.

  Commander Ma didn’t show up until early afternoon. He studied his new Scouts with the same stiffness he had demonstrated when taking over the duty of Scoutmaster for Unit 33, and then made a very brief speech on the issue of discipline and obedience, telling the youngsters to fulfill their duty diligently.

  “We are going on a quest immediately,” he added at the end. “Prepare for take-off.”

  Significantly larger with additional new Flyers, the four scouting companies soared through the air with each heading in a different direction. The great meadows unfolded below, drawing excited gasps from the Starters as the outer world scenery still had a strong effect on them.

  Mission Commander DeraB1044 took his company toward the Dry Stream. Covered in scant vegetation, that was currently the safest area around, and for the Starters’ first real mission, even the meager findings were satisfactory. The mature Scouts were ceaselessly cautioning the youngsters to stay alert, but the Starters would quickly forget themselves and drop their guard while marveling at the wonders of the outer world, still ignorant of its dangers.

  After discovering some lesser flowering grove in a flat and open terrain, the scouting company landed and did the initial security check without complications. The ground here was regular clay, hard and brown with no cracks in its surface that could offer hiding places for the enemy.

  Unit 33 stayed with the Scouts while the other half of the company departed to summon the gathering swarm. Xe helped Commander Ma organize the watch for their unit. Having Se and Se by his side, the Green chose to perch high on one towering plant from where he had a good view of the grove and at the same time was hidden from unwanted eyes.

  “Come here, Se… Se…”

  “Se 7, Sir. Over there is Se 11.”

  The third Se in their unit, Eeoless Se 41, left with Da and two other Starters. Along with Bolo, Sera seemed to be the most common batch in this entire generation. There were also very numerous Koda and Yaga, but by chance, no Starter of these batches got assigned to Unit 33.

  “Very well, Se 7. You will be monitoring the east. Always keep your blasters ready so you can open fire in an instant. For close range, use your spikes, but it’s far better to destroy the enemy before it gets close to you.”

  “Yes, Sir,” he replied respectfully, but then remembered something and looked at the Green. “Do you still think about your Starter days, Sir?”

  That question puzzled Xe and he balked at the answer. “Starter, there’s no time to discuss such issues. Concentrate on your task instead! Se 11, your place is at the crooked branch over there. Sound the alarm on anything suspicious, no matter how small!”

  With the arrival of swarm number three soon afterwards, the Scouts were ordered to retreat to the Hive. There wasn’t much daylight left, and it made no sense to attempt another quest so DeraB1044 concluded it was better to return inexperienced youngsters to safety than to keep them in the pasture among the Gatherers who had a lot of their Starters to look after as well.

  “Enough for today,” announced Xe to the youngsters. “You did well, Starters. Now let’s go home and get some rest.”

  “But I’m not tired!” protested Jo, interrupting his study of a Flea Beetle egg he had pulled out of some loosely-furled budding leaf. “I’m fresh as the morning dew and don’t have the faintest wish to see the old boring Hive!”

  “There’ll be plenty of opportunities in the future, Starter,” said Xe wearily. “This is only your first mission. Make haste, Commander Ma is summoning. Our company has to depart.”

  Reluctantly, Jo dropped the egg. “It’s so wrong…”

  “Come, dew,” teased Te, pulling the Starter by his forearm. “You’re going to make it up tomorrow.”

  Back in the Hive, unit 33 didn’t linger long in the Central Chamber. Commander Ma sent his youngsters to their sleeping chambers early, not showing the slightest inclination of giving in despite all their moaning and groaning, and the miserable Starters had no choice but to submit. Xe and Da went to spend their time in the Commanders’ Area while the others opted to wait
for the Evening Rally in their quarters.

  After a disappointingly short first day, the Starters were twice as excited the next morning. Even though they got up very early, none of them seemed to suffer from lack of sleep; Xe wasn’t sure the youngsters had any sleep at all. They stirred impatiently while they gathered on the green-glowing floor of the Central Chamber, all except Ha who retained his passive attitude.

  “Starters, restrain yourself!” ordered Da, walking up and down the line as he and Xe had turned up first. “Personal discipline is an essential feature of a Scout. Prove yourself worthy of Scout standards!”

  “Yes, Sir!!!”

  “Keen to go out again, aren’t you?” Xe said to the nearest youngster, which happened to be Jo.

  “Why wouldn’t we be, Sir?” The shine is his eyes remained unchanged since yesterday. “There is a wonderful world out there beckoning to us! Nobody could resist its call!”

  That made the Green to back off as he realized the Starters were still mesmerized with the charms of the outside world. They saw only its beautiful side, and that wasn’t good. Resolved to put an end to it, he called Da aside some distance away from the enthusiastic youngsters.

  “We have spared them long enough,” Xe said firmly. “It’s time they wake up. We should slay some Fly along the way and let them face the enemy. There is no other way. They need to prepare themselves for calamities lying ahead.”

  “You are right,” agreed Da. “You know what, I spotted Swarm Leader CaxaD7605 when we were ascending from the tunnels. I’ll go talk with him. The gathering swarm could make a kill without much trouble.”

  “Good idea. I’ll talk with Commander Ma. I trust this little arrangement of ours will shake the youngsters up quite properly.”

  And indeed it did. Swarm Leader CaxaD7605 spared no effort from his side. The gathering swarm killed as many as four Hunting Flies, and upon their arrival to the pasture, unloaded four hideous bodies right before the eyes of astonished Starters; one Common Rocky, one Lesser Black with bulging bright-orange eyes and a pair of Stripped Hammerheads. The carcasses of armored insects were covered in sticky blood and their sharp metallic jaws gaped open and still.

  Xe observed the petrified Starters and their dazed faces with great interest. Had we looked the same when Commander Ce faced us with our first Fly? He couldn’t remember it but he was sure they did.

  “The Grabbing Flies, Starters. That’s what dwells in the outer world, along with Waterworms and Dragonflies and many other savage and blood-thirsty monsters. Outside the protective walls of our Hive, death lurks around every corner, so don’t you relax for a second!”

  Horrified youngsters stared at the dreadful bugs without a word.

  Xe looked at Commander Ma beside him, pausing to see if he was going to add something, but he kept silent. Interestingly, when it came to the Starters, their Scoutmaster seemed to prefer letting Xe deal with them rather than instructing the youngsters himself. Maybe he didn’t have much patience and opted to have his Green manage them until they would catch onto their scouting skills.

  For the rest of that day the Matures of unit 33 kept lecturing their Starters about many species of carnivores and ways to defend against them. Like being awoken from a dream, the youngsters rediscovered their weapons and commenced vigorous training with their spikes and blasters. All over the meadow other Starters were doing the same, lost in the stirring red sea of thousands of busy Gatherers, while high in the south sky the streaking trails were giving away loops of some lone but more than gleeful Hep.

  The golden days for the Hive followed. With the gathering swarms boosted and able to intensify their collecting activities, rivers of sweet nectar flowed without stopping. The armies of Internals labored to turn it into honey and vast honeycombs of the Hive were now filling up quickly. As the reserves increased so did the confidence of Eeols.

  “Well done, well done,” Supreme BeraX7719 praised them during Rallies, looking more than content. “The Queen is extremely pleased with your work, Eeols. Just keep it up and we won’t need to worry about the winter.”

  Those of us who’d survive until the winter, Xe thought.

  20.

  Thicket

  Discussing their unit results, Xe and Da sat with their Scoutmaster on a single large shard of wax glowing lively green in one of the accessory rooms in the Commanders’ Area. It was because the Masters of all classes were obliged to evaluate their Starters after a certain amount of time. Commander Ma was to be called to the meeting in the Principal later in the morning to give his report.

  The Scouts didn’t exactly have privacy as the room was full of Commanders occupied with the same job, and someone was passing by constantly, but all minded their business and were careful not to disturbing others. Xe actually preferred it that way, liking a dynamic atmosphere and feeling of life resonating through the Area when it was overflowing with Eeols.

  “Overall, our performance is very good,” assessed Commander Ma, holding the thin wax plate in his hands and curving in symbols with a bark style. “However, there are several issues we should bear in mind.”

  By now, Xe was used to never getting a word out of him which was unrelated to work. The small talk was out of the question for their Scoutmaster.

  “First, our weakest link, Starter VeraB8267. She is fairly substandard.”

  Xe nodded. He was warned about her before as his friend So 147 knew her mentor and had passed on his suggestion to keep an eye on young Eeoless, stressing that she barely met the criteria to be a Scout and got in simply because of the shortage of Scouts.

  Nevertheless, she was deserving a chance. “I would grant her more time, Sir. Maybe she will improve.”

  “As you wish, Commander XeraM6697, I’ll make it your call. Then, BoloD5806. You had some disputes with him, Commander DadoY3961, if I’m not mistaken.”

  “That’s right, Sir.” Da intermingled his fingers in front of him. “Nervous fellow that one. Quick in jumping to anger and gets offended easily, which all could lead to trouble. On the other hand, he’s very young, and hence I would be inclined to grant him more time, like in the case of VeraB8267.”

  Commander Ma agreed with his opinion.

  “And finally, Starter JoraZ0186.”

  “There is nothing wrong with him, besides being a little reckless.” It was odd to Xe that Jo got mentioned as he was by far the most gifted of their Starters. Not particularly duty-bound, but in Xe’s eyes it wasn’t a big issue.

  For Commander Ma, it clearly was.

  “Recklessness is a serious flaw for a Scout, and you should know that, Commander XeraM6697. He also often shows no respect for authority and is prone to disobedience. If that doesn’t change, he would soon begin to join Trooper GogoM2783 by the honeycomb.”

  Xe sighed. Naturally, Go ended up in punishment once again. It was already becoming a habit of hers. She was simply uncorrectable and all efforts to discipline her made no effect.

  “If Trooper GogoM2783 would just employ some self-control,” said Commander Ma in an even voice, obviously noting Xe’s concern when Go’s name had been mentioned. “With some improvement in her behavior, the Supremes would be ready to grant her a position of Commander.”

  Xe shook his head helplessly. “Sir, we are constantly reminding Trooper GogoM2783 of her duties, but we can’t reach her.” And he sincerely doubted she would ever listen to anyone’s suggestions, including the earnest ones from her friends.

  With that, the discussion was over.

  Commander Ma lingered in the room and worked on his report while two Scouts left the Area together. They parted in the Central Chamber after Da ran into some acquaintances of his and decided to hold a small contest in spike-stabbing with them. Xe, who didn’t find any interest in that sort of entertainment, went to look for his Starters instead.

  He had to fly out of the Hive as the youngsters took advantage of the fact that the Commanders were preoccupied with their assessments and used the free time to enjoy themselve
s at the meadow clearing. Unit 33 Starters weren’t the only ones who thought of this, and the spacious clearing was crawling with Eeols, making it difficult for Xe to locate his group.

  In the end, he found them bunched up around his friend Te. They were chasing each other over the clearing, obviously having a good time together. The jolly Trooper played with the youngsters like they were equal in status, and his laughter wafted all the way to Xe. Something about that scene enraged him.

  Recognizing the incoming Scout, Te buzzed forward to meet him and hailed kindly.

  “Commander Xe! Why the frown?”

  Unfortunately, the Green took his hail as a provocation.

  “Playing around like a fool!” Xe yelled out, and the startled Trooper jerked backward. “You seem so very happy! Don’t you feel pain and sorrow for our dead friends? Did you already forget the loss of Le?”

  Te stiffened and looked at the ground.

  “No, I didn’t,” he said quietly. “I shall always remember our beloved Le. Same as Pa 2, Commander Ce, poor Ka, and everybody else who has ever fallen. I’m terribly sorry for all those deaths, but there’s nothing I can do to change it, and I just can’t be constantly sad. I like to play, that’s all.”

  There was a genuine innocent expression on his face and it quelled Xe’s fury.

  “You are right,” he said with regret. “I apologize for yelling. The thing is, I’m snappy lately.”

  “Let’s just forget it.”

  Unaware that a quarrel had taken place only a few moments ago, the lighthearted Starters approached their Superiors from behind. The youthful group hailed their Green in the official manner and formed a neat line before him, still breathing heavily from the heat of play.

  “Commander, orders?” asked Fe in zealous tone.

  “At ease, Starter,” said Xe. “No orders yet. There will probably there be none for today.”