It was a Maya plant.
The dreadful herb lacked any flower buds, but they were bound to show up. Flowers would start opening with the first days of the fall and Scouts knew dreadfully well what they might bring; the horror Eeols called the Evil of the Maya Flower, and feared above all else. Even its name was rarely whispered in the depths of the Hive as Eeols dreaded even to mention it.
After the first shock Scouts spread over the pasture area, returning to their usual duties. Yet their moral plummeted and all conversation died away for the rest of the day.
7.
Flight of the Dragonfly
The drought continued.
Great meadows kept wasting away and the food supply for Eeols was getting scarce. The nectar harvest dropped drastically at the worst possible time, now when the Hive was packed full with tens of thousands of Flyers and Internals and had a greatly multiplied brood to provide for. Storing any amount of honey for the winter became impossible as it was hard enough to simply feed the vast legions of the Swarm.
Unwillingly, gathering swarms spent more and more time idle in the Central Chamber, waiting for a summons which was progressively growing rare. Flyers wasted their time sitting around all day or strolling around aimlessly, and the Hive got engulfed with feelings of frustration and despondency.
Supreme BeraX7719 frowned that morning while opening the Morning Rally. Two other members of Supreme Command, Eeolesses BeraS3111 and LomoM0603, stood quietly behind him shadowed by six Queen Servants at the rear.
“Eeols of the Swarm. Due to this unfortunate rain dearth, extraordinary measures have to be undertaken. Number of seekers must increase; hence the scouting companies will be broken into several smaller parties which are to be filled up with a choice of Gatherers. This way we’ll cover our territory more efficiently, combing it so regularly we won’t miss a single blossom that’s out there. Straight away, all Commanders are to come to the meeting in Supreme Command’s quarters for consultations on seeking arrangements.”
And with that the Rally was over. Biddable Commanders promptly disappeared in the Main Tunnels, leaving Starters to get bored to death while expecting further developments of the situation.
Members of the Scout units 33 and 46 sat together on large splinters of waxy rubble at the beginning of the Main Tunnel two, throwing curious glances toward its huge gap.
“That’s not a bad idea to enlarge scouting forces,” commented Za thoughtfully. “More seekers will find more pastures, logically.”
“Still, Gatherers might slow us down,” noted Le.
“I agree,” said Go nervously. “We got used to our present company and learned to work as a team, so adding new Flyers untrained for scouting duty will only cause disarray. The Supremes have made their decision alone as usual. Why didn’t they ask us Scouts what we think of this?”
Her friends just shrugged.
It took a considerable amount of time for Commanders to reappear from the Main Tunnels. When they started pouring back into the Central Chamber, Xe recognized Commander Ce in a small group buzzing out of Tunnel four, engaged in discussion with another Commander who seemed to be a Gatherer.
“…probably will so. Let’s face it, vegetation lining the Stream is practically the only viable herbage left.”
“The Stream itself is partly dried up,” pointed out Commander Ce. “That would reduce the probability of encountering Dragonflies.”
“Reduce, but would not remove it completely. If a lot of scouting companies were sent to the area, it’s inevitable someone would bump into one…”
Then Commander Ce noticed Xe down aon the floor. Gesturing for him to hold, he nodded kindly at his companion. “Commander, we’ll continue our debate later.”
Buzzing softly, he parted the fleeting group and landed opposite to Xe.
“Commander,” hailed the youngster, lowering his head in expectation of orders.
But the Scoutmaster smiled broadly. “I have great news for you, my dear Scout. You have been promoted. By the Supreme Command directive, it’s my duty and pleasure to appoint you a Trooper, and your promotion is going to be formally announced at the next Evening Rally.”
“What?” said Xe.
“Understandably, this upgrades you to a status of a Mature. From this moment, you officially cease to be a Starter, and you are to be addressed as a Trooper. Naturally, that gives you the right to address non-Matures as Starters or youngsters, including Scouts from our unit.”
“What?” said Xe.
“Congratulations, Trooper,” said Commander Ce, putting his arm on Xe’s shoulder and ignoring bewildered expression on the Scout’s face. “I’m very happy for you. Nice achievement, getting promoted so early. You have made me proud.”
If Xe thought that felt awkward, what followed was even worse.
After gathering his Starters, Commander Ce broke the news to the unit. Everybody’s eyes widened, and delighted youngsters hurried to congratulate Xe. He smiled in embarrassment at their praises and cheers, not knowing what to say and realized this early advancement was putting him in a very tricky position in relation to his friends.
“Our entire unit is doing very well, Scouts” added Commander Ce at the end. “You all will be promoted soon.”
I can’t wait, thought Xe, smiling uncomfortably among the sparkling happiness of others.
A little later, as many as eight scouting companies emerged from the cozy shade of the Hive’s interior and into the scorching sun. They were a mix of true Scouts combined with a choice of Watchers and Gatherers recommended by their Commanders as the best suited for the job outside their specialty. Although unaccustomed to scouting, new recruits were swift and keen-eyed, so missions commenced without any impediments from their side.
Yet in spite of all efforts, the first day brought no improvement in seeking results.
When reports began to come at the end of the day, Supremes were not satisfied. Their patience ran out and consequently, as all Commanders had anticipated, the orders were issued for Stream area quests.
“Scouts, caution” warned Commander Ce that morning with a grave expression on his face. “Dragonflies are among the most dangerous creatures found in the meadows and are not to be taken lightly. These monsters are much bigger than you and faster. They are able to fire blasts over a great range, and they bite and hit hard with sharp cutting blades on their front legs. But then again, their armor is not as thick as you would expect, judging by their size. Thus, if a foe appeared, join your forces and fire on it together. Unity is the key! Despite everything, Dragonflies aren’t invincible. Questions?”
Le had one. “Wasn’t it said that there would be no Dragonflies around, Sir? Desiccation is supposed to be detrimental for them.”
Commander Ce shook his head. “There is still some water left in the Stream, Scouts. We certainly won’t see any flocks, particularly not large swarms which are truly deadly, but a solitary Dragonfly may show up. Therefore, keep your eyes open; caution and nothing but caution!”
For the first time in their lives, unit 33 had the chance to see the infamous Stream from up close.
It wasn’t a particularly impressing sight at present as the drought shrunk it to nothing more than a narrow watercourse. Along its banks, the majority of the plants still remained in a decent state, fresh and vigorous and with lush foliage varying in color from green to brassy.
After a brief and peaceful flight scouting company three spotted a nice section peppered richly with metallic flowers. Xe observed with curiosity the peculiar cobalt-blue blossoms he didn’t know, probably belonging to some species limited to wet habitats. Commander Ce seemed to be very pleased to see it.
“Remember, we are going back in full numbers,” reminded Commander Ce, hovering in the midair. “It’s too perilous to deploy a ground party.”
As he spoke, something glinted metallically green further above the rippling water.
All Eeols’ heads turned, but the water surface was brilliant with the su
n glare and their visors weren’t helping much. By the time bemused Scouts remembered to shade their eyes with their hands, something alive was already coming towards them, swift like the wind.
The buzz was surprisingly gentle for such a huge creature. It had to weigh as much as fifty Eeols or more; just the bog-eyed head alone was bigger than their bodies. Its frightful jaws were encircled with shiny blaster pipes. Carried by an entire row of air-screws, the greenly-shimmering insect flickered through the air and steered its course with two pairs of slender blue-green wings. Six segmented and extraordinarily long legs hung downwards, the first pair equipped with razor-sharp metallic blades.
“Hold your positions! Flyers, hold the line!” Commanders yelled as loud as they could, but in vain; shocked Eeols have panicked and the scouting party scattered in all directions.
Trembling Xe was darting blindly high over the Stream, together with several equally terrified Gatherers. Somebody screamed behind them, but they were too frightened to look back and just kept going in a desperate search for a place to hide.
“Xeeee! Watch out! That thing is on you!” This time it was a Te’s voice coming from near, and Xe instantly made a sharp turn left, casting a quick glance over his shoulder.
The giant Dragonfly was storming right after him.
The world reeled maddeningly around young Scout, but down there on the stream bank he spotted something that looked promising; a narrow fissure in a cliff peeking out of the thick brassy vegetation. Gapping most conspicuously in the slanting side, it was pretty lengthy and ended in a fine hairline pattern. Xe took an abrupt dive, and bolting in top speed managed to reach the fissure and fling himself into the blackness just as something brushed his shin.
The monster was just behind him.
But the fissure proved too small to admit passage for its large body. Breathing heavily, the young Scout pulled deeper into safety, crawling down the hollow which was expanding all the way to the heart of the rock. On the other side of the crack, the Dragonfly banged vociferously and pushed its blades down the fissure, but this Eeol was out of reach.
Then all of the sudden, the creature was gone and the silence reigned.
Xe’s heart was thumping like crazy. Scared to death, he was barely daring to breath, and there was no chance he would steal a look to see if the Dragonfly was really gone. It crossed his mind some other horror might be lurking in the non-transparent darkness around him as well, and he stiffened; but that idea turned out to be wrong. There was nothing alive in the hollow except him.
The exhausted Scout lay in silence on the cold rock floor and it seemed that eternity had passed before he heard Eeol voices from the outside calling his name.
“Trooper Xe! Where are you? Xe, please answer!”
Shaken but mostly sound, the young Scout crept out of his hideaway and walked off the rock.
“Da! Go! Za!”
Starters turned and relief swept across their previously somber faces. “Xe, you are alive! We thought the monster had gotten you!”
Reminded of the Dragonfly, Xe trembled and looked around. “You are certain it went away?”
“We beat it down! Part of our company regrouped into a larger party and blasted the damn monster apart. The carcass is over there in the mud and it’s dead for sure so you have nothing to worry about. But your leg is bleeding!”
Xe looked down at his shin. “It’s just a scratch, nothing worth mentioning.” He tightened his lips. “Causalities?”
“None. Just two slightly injured. Te earned a few superficial wounds over his back and one of the Gatherers received welts and a sprained ankle when he flew into some bough while running. And with you being fine, it didn’t turn out bad at all.”
Friends took Xe to a big Buddi Buddi plant which was standing above various minor weed-like plants lining the bank. At the foot of its powerful stalk there were Starters from unit 33 and a number of other Flyers clustering around Commander Ce.
“Did you find him?” Scoutmaster cried at the group.
“I’m right here,” Xe shouted in reply, getting in the front so his Superior could see him. “Safe and sound. I got away with a single small cut.”
“Excellent.” Commander Ce sounded relieved; obviously he had been seriously concerned for his new Trooper. But then he grumbled, “Flyers, you haven’t made much of yourselves today. Not just you here, the same goes for the entire company. You acted in a horrible manner!”
The crowd around him bowed their heads, looking guilty. “We are sorry, Sir. We panicked, and it was stronger than us.”
“You were damned lucky we stumbled onto this weak Dragonfly which was incapable of using blasters. Otherwise, I don’t dare think of how the whole thing would’ve ended up.” He shook his head. “Everybody, get airborne. We go straight home.”
8.
The Fire
In the following period the drought reached its climax.
The brown clay covering the great plains became hard as a rock with broad and deep cracks breaking its crusted surface into huge irregular squares. All free water evaporated and vanished; even the Stream dried up totally and its huge bed was now parched and dusty. The metallic vegetation turned dormant, reducing its life functions to a bare minimum.
The situation in the Hive went from bad to worse. It was pointless to send Scouts out; there were simply no flowers to be found. The Swarm was now living on its reserves and the meager stock of honey that the Eeols managed to stash prior to this calamity was rapidly melting away.
“We have no choice but to wait. The rain dearth can’t last for much longer,” assured Supreme BeraX7719.
Early that afternoon, Xe was aiding some Gatherers who were supervising a bunch of their Starters having drills in the clearing in front of the Hive. Although the air inside was cooler and much more pleasant, the young Trooper didn’t have a problem spending his free time in the heat; like many other Flyers he’d rather used his days off for practice than to waste them in futile idleness.
Despite the sultriness, young Gatherers were eager for action, but Xe found them generally less disciplined than Scout Starters were. Their maturation seemed to be slower and many of them were still playful, which was pretty irritating. Being in charge, he realized, was not an easy thing, and surely it wasn’t as great as it looked through the Starters’ eyes.
“Right. A new piece of wax is placed in position for our aim. Everybody, clear! Get in line and prepare your blasters. Don’t forget, only one Eeol is going to fire at a time. You there, get back and wait for your turn, youngster!”
That word continued to sound weird coming out of Xe’s mouth. Not so much with the relative strangers, though, but in his unit where he had to address his friends that way. It made him feel uncomfortable, and he was counting the days till others would get promoted too. Commander Ce promised to put in a good word for them at the Commanders’ meetings, ensuring impatient Starters it wouldn’t take long.
Somebody called his name from behind, and Xe turned to see his roommate Xe 73, waving at him.
“Proceed with blaster practice, youngsters. I’ll be right back,” he said plainly to the Gatherer Starters, nodding in salutation as he passed by several other Matures he has been working with, which nodded back in return.
Apart from the crowd, two Xes sat down on wax shards in the shade of the mighty Hive walls.
“Hilarious,” said Xe 73, adjusting his visor in a relaxed manner. “You are not going to believe it. The ceiling in our sleeping chamber has caved in. Just like that, for no apparent reason and nobody can say why as the room above us was vacant at the time.”
“Maybe there were some hidden cracks,” noted Xe.
“Maybe. Anyway, Xe 83 is now there fixing it, and we’ll have our sleeping place back by nightfall. Some Internals came to help. With their Master to instruct them naturally, as we mustn’t. How dumb.”
Xe shrugged.
But then screams unexpectedly broke from the target area.
Alarmed
, Xe leapt to his feet, buzzing his air-screw and rushing toward the place where lots of Eeols have flocked. It was the area where Starters were holding a blaster practice until a few moments ago. The yelling crowd was mounting with new beholders arriving; Xe recognized several Gatherer Troopers standing around Green Commander Ro who was knelling in the center.
Second Class Commander HegoC2670 arrived and everybody went silent. He was a Gatherer Commander serving in swarm number one and the highest ranking Commander around at the moment, so Eols stood at attention.
“What is going on?” he asked sternly, landing to face Commander Ro and her Troopers.
“We had an accident,” she replied in a low voice.
The young Commander stepped aside, allowing Xe to see that there was some motionless body on the ground at her feet. The lying figure was one of the Gatherer Starters he had worked with just a couple minutes ago. Her neck was twisted in an unnatural way, disclosing an ugly carbonized wound just under the ear, where Eeols had only soft skin and lacked the shielding of metal. Her pale cheeks were mucked by char and dried blood.
“GogoB7748 was zooming around during blaster practice and accidently got in the line of fire” muttered Commander Ro. “Got shot down by one Starter. He fainted after that; some Matures have already carried him inside to his sleeping chamber.”
Xe was staring at the lifeless body, astonished and having trouble to accept the truth.
CommanderHegoC2670 didn’t seem particularly shocked.
“It happens,” he said. He squatted and gently touched the shoulder of the quiet figure. “She was a good Gatherer and always fulfilled her duties. She loved our Hive and served the Swarm and the Queen well. Rest in peace.”
He stood up and turned to Commander Ro again. “Have the Starter who hit her transferred to another gathering swarm. It would be better for him. He served in swarm number one, didn’t he? Assign him to swarm number two then.”
The Call of the Swarm Page 7