The Call of the Swarm

by Melani Matejak

  “Puddle, Sir? Oh, you mean that big one. It disappeared after the rock slide collapsed a part of its bank, and all the water drained away; luckily not in our direction. We didn’t have any other major issues. The Hive is well-stocked and honeycombs are full. This season has been good.”

  “What about our unit? Were you fine while I was gone?”

  “We were very sad for a time, Sir, grieving for you. But we started questing with our new Scoutmaster, Commander Ca 43, and he led us well. Things soon fell into place.”

  “An Eeol must adjust,” Xe noted quietly. Then he continued in loud voice. “aAy disputes between you Scouts?”

  “No. Well… maybe. We picked a little fight with the Scouts from company one, me and Fe, but that was nothing serious. We were in punishment for two days and that settled it. Besides, it was those stupid Scouts from unit 10 who started the whole thing.”

  Xe smiled, recalling similar conflicts from the old days. “Sure they did. No arguments within our unit, though?”

  “We get along perfectly.”

  The command for departure came, and he scouting company buzzed up in response, getting airborne and soon leaving the Hive.

  Xe quivered with a pleasant sensation, a mixture of serenity and a sense of purpose. Flying amidst the multitude of Scouts, he felt indeed as a part of a swarm. It was like he melted with others in one single super-body, a living red cloud which was rolling over the skies having one mind and one heart.

  The quest results were more than favorable. Although the pastures in general turned less rich, many plants still flourished and yielded nectar. Some even plentifully, like the Bigleaves who just came in full bloom, boasting with their clumsy bright-orange flowers with golden stamens sticking far out of their simple chalices. It wasn’t long before the Scouts found themselves surrounded with a huge gathering swarm feeding peacefully and providing comfort and safety by means of its sheer numbers.

  The second half of the day brought the bad weather. A cold drizzle started to fall from dark clouds and Eeols were forced to retreat to the Hive. Xe wasted no time and used this break for the renewal of old relationships. He dropped into the section for invalid Eeols to greet his former Scouts, ex-Starter Bo 6 and good old Pa 7. They seemed fine, fitting in and not the least depressed, and Xe was glad for them. He also paid a visit to Gatherer Ve, who talked and talked about how her current life made her content as she actually didn’t like scouting that much.

  But no matter how much he enjoyed being in his Swarm again, Xe suffered because of the separation from his weird friend Rogue. He couldn’t stop thinking about him and began to dwell on a plan how to sneak out to the Old Bluetop.

  The chance presented itself that very day as the last part of afternoon saw the thinning of the clouds. Skies cleared up and the sun reemerged, but it was too late for quests to recommence and hence Flyers were off for the rest of day. The opportunity was perfect.

  Xe went out to the Promenade. He was planning to act like he was seeking solitude, sit close to the west edge, and slip out when nobody would be looking; but he didn’t have to bother with that as Eeols were repelled by wetness and he found himself virtually alone when he got up. The Scout simply buzzed off the Promenade, quietly bolting down into metallic vegetation surrounding the Hive.

  He didn’t expect it would be so easy.

  The brassy foliage rustled like it was protesting while he struggled through it. The Scout had to conceal himself from sight in case someone would show on the Promenade and to advance on foot. Only when getting considerably far from the immense dome he dared to plunge into air.

  Xe knew this was a dangerous trip. He flew low above the ground and kept his blasters drawn out, maintaining the greatest level of caution. But the afternoon was silent and lazy, and he encountered not a single living thing.

  The Old Bluetop loomed ahead of him, swallowed by dense vegetation. In the bright sunshine its bluish upper part stood in sharp contrast with the darker color of its remaining bulk, and it almost seemed like the battered monolith was sagging under its heavy load of leafy tendrils.

  Xe landed by the first stalks and carefully walked inside the thicket.

  There was a carcass of a Grabbing Fly rotting on the ground in the tiny open space encircled by thick green haulms of creepers. A disgusting insect was flipped over on its back, clenching fragmented legs over its belly and having its metallic wings cast aside in full span. Being brutally incinerated by blasters, it was hard to determine which species the Fly belonged to.

  “Rogue, it’s me,” Xe called not too loudly. “Come out.”

  In the next moment he literally leapt in the air when something suddenly tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see Rogue just behind his back, standing waist-deep in the green metallic leaves and grinning.

  “You are always so unprepared, Scout. It’s a joke to ambush you.”

  Fuming Xe took a step back, his heart pounding. “So are you. Why have you left this Fly to rot here? Burn marks are giving you away. It’s clear they were made by Rogue blasters.”

  His friend looked at the dead insect. “I guess you are right, I didn’t think of that. I’ll bury the carcass later. And, how are things in the Hive?”

  “Fine… you are sure there are no other Flies in the vicinity?”

  “There were two more, but they managed to flee. I wasn’t interested in chasing after them. I don’t think they are coming back, though. You like it back home?”

  “Tremendously. I don’t know how I endured living away from my Swarm for so long. Serving my community is not a burden to me. It makes me happy, truly and deeply happy.”

  Rogue yawned. “Well, you are an Eeol, so there’s nothing odd with that. Were your fellows surprised to see you?”

  The Scout laughed. “You should have seen their faces.”

  “What did you tell them?”

  Xe informed Rogue of his story.

  “Just blasting Hunting Flies from the skies, you say?”

  The Scout grimaced. “All right, maybe that part wasn’t especially convincing, but it’s of no importance any more. How did you settle? And what about foes, were those Flies the only ones?”

  Rogue yawned again. “The cave is very small, nothing more than a deep fissure in the rock, but it will do for now. Regarding hostiles, there were some Ants around which I scared away with a few shots. They aren’t so terrible.”

  Xe swallowed. “I witnessed some pretty ugly incidents with Ants in the past.”

  “I believe you did, but to me they are not a threat. Neither are Spiders, if some would show up. You remember that I can deal with those quite well.”

  “Nonetheless, take care of yourself. Surprises are always possible.” He looked at the reddening sky and the sun touching the western horizon. “I have to go, Rogue. It was nice to see you, and I believe it won’t be long before I can come again.”

  “Enjoy your quests, Scout.”

  Xe smiled as he was activating his flying gear. “Flying out on a scouting mission in the sunny morning is the best thing in the world, Rogue. If you only could come with me once…”

  “We can’t have all we want in life.”

  Scout returned to the Hive safely. With first dusk he sneaked back to the Promenade and then buzzed down to the Gate like he was up there the whole time. Nobody noticed him being away, and he kept his little trip a secret.

  After several days, Xe’s adventure faded from the Swarm’s focus. Stories stopped circulating and the Eeols returned to their daily routine and humdrum fight with the always unpredictable outer world; but the general atmosphere was bright due to the good condition of honey stock, and with the pleased Supremes loosening the pressure upon Flyers, it got easier to work.

  Xe took advantage of the decline of interest in him to make more visits to his secret friend. He was using basically the same tactics as the first time, and in a few instances he had to employ small tricks like throwing stones into the vegetation to get everybody looking in the oppo
site direction. Eeols had no reason to be suspicious and hence such deceits weren’t difficult to pull off. Although his friends noticed he spent a lot of time on the Promenade, they attributed that to his need to contemplate on recent events and didn’t ask anything. Still, trips to the Bluetop remained a risky business, and Xe dreaded them, flying every time with a cramp in his belly and his weapons pulled ready.

  At this point, the change could be sensed all over the plains. The brassy and green colors of great meadows gradually nuanced to the duller tones, and flowers were getting less and less common. It wasn’t cold yet and the sky was blue on most days, but the wind began to sough harder. Slowly but surely, summer was giving way to the fall.

  29.

  Kill the Rogue!

  “We have killed the Rogue,” said Swarm Leader LegaS6667.

  It turned black before Xe’s eyes, and he couldn’t help losing his balance; staggering helplessly, he collapsed to the ground.

  That day had started just fine. The morning was a lovely one, and it looked like the rest of the day would be perfect as well. In high spirits, the scouting company three emerged from the Hive into the golden rays of the rising sun and headed southeast.

  These days the great plains were seething with life. Most plants were loaded with seeds and meadows were full of ripe grass ears, pods and berries. It was the last display of plenty the generous summer bequeathed to the creatures of plains, and a paradise for Ants and various Beetles. There was still enough nectar around to collect too, and Butterflies and Peaceful Flies fed happily on it alongside the Eeol swarms.

  Low on a clear sky, one darting Hep could be seen glistening in a gaudy scarlet, which meant he has to be male. It was courting season for their kind, with males obtaining the most extravagant look with dashing colors while females retained their standard light-brown appearance. But the splendor of males was short-lasting though, as they were soon to return to their normal colors.

  Unit 84 kept their eyes on Starter Fe. They were doing their best to teach her everything she needed to know as gently as possible. Xe arranged with the others to spare the young Eeoless from excessive shocks and provide her ample time to gradually adjust to the ugly side of the outer world. It was a good thing to be the only Starter in the unit.

  “She’s your pet, isn’t she?” teased Go, whose unit served today with company three as well.

  “Nothing bad in that.”

  “Naturally. Is she any good?”

  “Fast as lighting. Able to outfly me any time.”

  “It would hardly be the case in earlier times…” There was a weird muttered moan or a grumble, Xe couldn’t tell exactly. Realizing he was looking her way, Go made her voice plain again. “But she is quite hasty, wouldn’t you say? Planning is like a waste of time to her.”

  “Maybe, but getting more experience will fix that. I’m sure she’ll develop into an excellent Scout in the future.”

  In general, unit 84 performed very well giving Xe no hard time to lead it. The new Boes fitted in just nicely, and boosted with extra Troopers, the unit was fetching excellent results; yet Xe refused to opt for a transfer to scouting company one as he got used to his present arrangement and lost interest for serving in a prestigious company for which he had once yearned. Not to mention that there was some quarrel brewing between his Scouts and unit 10 from company one, and it was better to keep the two groups at distance. While nobody was completely innocent in this matter, the Scouts of the unit 10 were unquestionably a gang of the taunting sort and behaved in a similar fashion that late Wa 17 used to. However, despite his grudge against the deceased, Xe paused in silence for a moment when recalling him.

  After a short and undisturbed flight, the company eyed an attractive pasture in one secluded corner of the endless plains. A terrain was good, even and open, and it was grown sparsely with a choice of flowering plants, especially with Bigleaved Creepers and ever-present Farra. The large and conspicuous Buddi Buddies towered randomly here and there, nearly breaking under the heavy load of ripening pods. By this time, their stalks and leaves lost the intense green color and turned greenish-brown, heralding the coming of the cold season.

  Like usual, Eeols deployed their forces to secure the area. Small patrols moved with admirable skill and discipline, each unit strictly following commands of its Scoutmaster.

  “Troopers, status!” called Xe.

  “All clear, Sir! Only Peaceful Flies in sight!”

  As the summoning party left, Xe doubled his wariness making sure all guards and lookouts were set in place. He and his unit were covering the north, but they didn’t stay in position for long as some violent yelling burst from the opposite side. Alarmed Scouts rushed forward, drawing out their blasters without thinking.

  Xe spotted a group of agitated Scouts huddling in small open space, with Go among them looking very distressed, and he buzzed over to her. “What is happening? Report!”

  She stiffly pointed somewhere to her left. “We have a hostile. It’s a Millipede hiding in that fallen log over there. Unit 40 got it.”

  The log in question had once belonged to a huge Buddi Buddi. Judging by the size of the trunk, it was an ancient plant seeing maybe as much as forty winters, and although it had tumbled down recently, its core obviously rotted away well before the fall. Not only did the log wear clear traces of Millipede jaws around the black hole at its base, but there was also a hushed clatter coming from its belly suggesting a spinning action of the creature’s wheels as the Millipede wriggled in its nap.

  The Eeoless had a problem stifling her quaking. “I hate Millipedes.”

  “Don’t worry, Go. Just stand back, and let us to take care of it.”

  Additional Scouts joined their group for backup, and they had more than enough firepower to subdue the enemy. Xe raised his hand, and everybody gathered around him as he was the highest ranking Commander in the group.

  “Prepare your blasters, Scouts! Form a semicircle, and get ready to open fire on my mark, but be careful to stay at a safe distance.”

  Their party silently approached the decaying log which was resting on the ground in a deceitful tranquility. But then it rang most loudly, reverberating with dull metallic tones under the sudden shower of fiery Eeol blasts.

  A piercing shriek howled from inside as the Millipede snapped out of its snooze. The series of clangs and jangles followed, indicating it was arranging its weaponry; these many-legged creatures were tough and not willing to fall without a fight. The sharp swish disclosed its complex firearm being pulled out, and almost instantly, deadly blasts started flashing from numerous holes in the log sides.

  “Don’t cease your fire!” commanded Xe. “Look for creature’s blind spots and change your position accordingly, but continue shooting!”

  That tactic proved successful. The rotten substance was too weak to withstand discharges of this magnitude, and bit by bit it was shredding away until the whole log split in half rendering the Millipede of its protection. The simultaneous fire of Eeol blasters finished it off in seconds. The long-bodied creature lay squirming and its mighty firearm dropped to the ground; busted wheels spun aimlessly for one final time, and the Millipede went stiff and motionless.

  The victorious Scouts cheered.

  Assuring that the foe was really dead, Eeols checked the state of their forces. It turned out that, beyond dozens of minor injuries and burns, they sustained no serious harm and morale in the party soared.

  “Is it just luck, or are we actually getting better?” cried Jo, buzzing around in triumphant loops.

  “Scouts rule!” Se and Se clashed their fists against each other. Fe made a flip in the air, and even passive Ha smiled a little.

  “Cool down, Scouts!” yelled Xe, straining to be heard over their excitement. “Retake your defensive positions. It’s dangerous to get carried away like this!”

  “No need for it, Commander,” said Go gleefully. “Look, our gathering swarm is coming! We are going to be safe with them!”

&
nbsp; Indeed, swarm number three was whirling up from their left side, resembling an immense red cloud and reddening the scenery. While countless Eeols spread over the area, Swarm Leader LegaS6667 heard the news and rushed to congratulate Scoutmasters for vanquishing the Millipede. He was accompanied by Mission Commander TeraX8891 from the summoning party, looking very pleased with the success of his Eeols.

  “Well done, Scouts,” the Swarm Leader commended the mustered bunch.

  “A brilliant victory,” TeraX8891 joined in praise.

  Xe glowed with pride in front of his Superiors. “You can always count on us, Sirs.”

  “This was definitely a most fruitful day,” LegaS6667 bragged from his side. “While coming here, we were lucky and made a kill as well. And it was a kill that especially delights.”

  “Yes, Sir?”

  “We have killed a Rogue,” said the Swarm Leader.

  Xe felt like he was punched in the face. Chances were that it was his friend, and the world around him convulsed. Blanching with shock, the stunned Scoutmaster lurched and tottered on his feet.

  “Hold him!” cried the surrounding Scouts as he collapsed onto the hard clay. A number of them jumped to help, grasping the flagging Commander and laying him tenderly over the ground. “See something?” they asked each other examining parts of his body, as they assumed he got wounded in the Millipede attack without being aware of it; such things were known to happen in the heat of battle, and it would be nothing unusual.

  Xe didn’t pass out completely. Blackness drifted before his eyes like a thick veil, but he squinted and gripped other Scouts for a handhold to scramble back to his feet.

  “I’m good,” he squeezed out with effort. “I’m not hurt, only little dizzy… because of this thing with the Millipede. It passed now, and I’ll be fine. Please, Sir, don’t pay attention to it but continue with the story.”

  “Well, suit yourself, Commander,” shrugged the Swarm Leader. “As I was saying, we caught this Rogue lurking from a shallow crack in the ground. I’m extremely proud of my swarm’s swift reaction. Everybody jumped on the thing like crazy, not waiting for order to be issued at all, and it didn’t stand a chance. We blasted the damned being into pieces. Nothing remained of it but a pile of ashes!”