By the next day, it became clear Pa 7 had been right about multiple trips being necessary to empty the Scrap Chamber. Only when Eeols started cleaning it got apparent how much junk was really stored in there; the sheer amount was simply astonishing.
Some pieces were still luminous, irradiating the typical green shine of Eeol wax. The bulk, however, was old wax which lost its luminescence and hardness, assuming a sickly gray coloration and turning frail and crumby. A limited number of pieces were large enough to be transported individually, while everything else had to be pasted together with small amounts of fresh wax into rough wax orbs which were more convenient to transport.
Naturally, Internals were the ones charged with this duty. Armies of them had been laboring in the Scrap Chamber for days, modeling orb after orb. It was more than enough to dampen their spirits. Standing by the entrance unseen by the youngsters, Xe overheard a bunch of them moaning over their bitter fate.
“This is the worst job in the world,” grumbled one light-built Eeoless sitting on a suitable piece of wax. “I can imagine no duller.”
“And who gets appointed to such drudgery?” whined some tall fellow. “Poor Internals, understandably.”
“While Flyers enjoy the outside world. Blue skies and beautiful flowering meadows!”
“Adventures for them, slaving away for us!”
Xe smiled sympathetically and tiptoed out of the chamber.
In the meantime, the gathering swarms have been organizing in the Central Chamber; all four of them. They were to be accompanied by their scouting companies, and unit 33 was assigned to follow swarm number three as accustomed.
The wax orbs were brought to the Central Chamber by the Internals and stacked on the floor in multiple pyramid mounds. When the signal came for the swarms to take off, each Flyer grabbed one orb and flew out with it. Swarm number one had the lead with the other three swarms following behind.
With the heavy orb in his hands. Xe found the trip to the fissure much longer than yesterday. The usually pleasant touch of wax now turned obnoxious, and he couldn’t wait to get rid of it. On top of everything, the wind was picking up making their strenuous journey more difficult.
Reaching the fissure cheered everybody up. With cries of joy, Flyers emtied their exasperating burden down the crooked mouth, but their happiness didn’t last long. After their brief rest, they had to turn back for the next load of wax.
The second trip was even worse. The Swarms reemerged from the Hive bearing new orbs just to discover that the wind had strengthened. The Eeols grinded their teeth, cursing the wax in their minds. Still nobody asked for the termination of the mission as they all yearned to finish this frustrating job today; the idea of dragging wax for two days was absolutely abhorrent.
But it was the third trip, taking place in the middle of the afternoon, which turned into a disaster.
Swarm number three has carried its last load of wax. It got somewhat behind the rest, straining to catch up. But no matter how much Eeols fought and pushed themselves to endure just this final trip, fatigue took its toll, and slowly the orbs started to slip through their fingers. Many couldn’t hold any longer, and they had to drop the orbs to burst on the rocky ground below.
“No! No!” yelled the Commanders. “Halt!”
The Swarm was forced to make an emergency landing.
The ground here was hard and stony and vegetation scarce. Water glared from somewhere close, and when the Eeols raised their heads, they noted a large plash rolling its murky waves just a short distance away.
Exhausted Eeols spread across the rough terrain, breathless and panting; some putting maddening orbs by their side, others sitting or leaning on them. Watchers initiated patrolling as soon as they were able to while Commanders rallied to discuss further actions.
Commander Ce was summoned as well.
“Keep your eyes open, Scouts,” he warned his unit as he was leaving. “Be wary and stay away from the water. Don’t fool around and don’t get carried away by jabbering.”
“Understood, Sir,” a choir of young voices replied automatically.
What troubled the Commanders was a dilemma; should they abandon the globes right here, returning for them tomorrow, or proceed with their mission as planned after the break. But the fissure was still far away, and with the sun commencing its slow descent to the horizon, they were running out of time.
“Let’s send one party ahead to look for swarm number four,” suggested Second Class Commander LomoD4008. “By now it should be returning by this same route. They will help us with the load. But if, by some chance, our party misses them, then there’s no sense in trying anything else today and we should leave the wax and go home.”
His advice was accepted, and a party of two hundred was assembled and dispatched.
The swarm was resting amidst the sharp rocks. The wind died and the air was pleasantly warm. Some Eeols were repairing broken globes, picking up all the splinters they could find and pasting them back together. A few engaged in chasing each other round while others lay on the ground on their bellies, playing with their hand gears and getting bored to death. The commands stubbornly refused to come.
Scouts of unit 33 weren’t among those assigned to the seeking party. They remained with the majority of the swarm, and disregarding their Scoutmaster’s words, they chattered between themselves like Internals. Yet it wasn’t long before some grew tired of that.
“Fellows, what do you say we get some target practice?” proposed Pa 2.
“Good idea.” Da was instantly on his feet, but the rest of the group shook their heads.
“Not me. I’m perfectly fine here.”
“I’m fed up with everything.”
“So tired.”
“Suit yourself,” shrugged Da. “We’re going.”
Two of the young Scouts already felt refreshed and ready for more action. To be able to fire their blasters, they had to move away from the mass, so two friends climbed down the steep slope and got to a tiny rocky clearing squeezed between the cliffs.
The muddy plash was now lying directly in front of them. Being more a mire than a pond, it was nonetheless vast and appeared to be fairly deep in some parts. The water was brown and nontransparent and reeked of rot.
The young Troopers initially amused themselves by targeting scant vegetation which was struggling to survive on the bare cliff sides. Their blasts torched scraggy plants with little effort and such easy targets gave them no challenge. They became bored fast.
Pa 2 turned in frustration and spotted one rusty stalk in the plash, not far from the bank, branchless and sticking out of the murky water like a pole. “What do you think of that one?”
Da grinned. “It looks like it will topple down at any moment.”
Not wasting words, Pa 2 dashed over the plash all the way to the dead stalk. Clicking the metallic shutter aside, his ankle popped out a curved red hook, and he swiped the plant as hard as he could. But it bounced back refusing to break.
“Seems fine to me.” The young Scout retracted the hook into his lower leg and hovered back to the rocky bank to assume his position next to his friend.
Da fired first. He blasted off pieces from the rotten stalk.
“Not bad, wouldn’t you say?”
“I can do better,” boasted Pa 2 and quickly fired three blasts from his weapon; but for some reason, the targeted stalk didn’t even flinch. Da inclined his head and sneered.
“I missed all three shots? It’s not possible!” Pa 2 bolted over the plash and toward the stalk, hoping that he at least grazed it.
He made it half-way when the water surface exploded.
With amazing speed, a huge olive-colored Waterworm uncoiled from the dirty water. Startled, Da saw its vicious metal jaws closing over Pa 2’s waist with a horrible crunching sound. The very next instant the abominable larva pulled him under the surface, disappearing again to the dark depths.
Da cried like never before in his life and started shooting despera
tely across the plash, firing blast after blast, but in vain. The water monster had been too fast. When he stopped at last, nothing was moving and the silence reigned over the place. There was only a large yellow splotch wafting on the water.
The young Scout screamed in pain and darted away from that horrible place.
Later, when the west sky was reddening with the first hint of sundown, a small number of Eeols patrolled the rocky banks of the plash. They were advancing with vigilance, careful not to come too close to the dark waves.
Not far from them, the Scouts from unit 33 were sitting on a heap of stones, silent and grieving. Da was in the center with his hands covering his face. Just opposite to him, the glassy eyes of Pa 7 stared at nothing.
Swarm number four had arrived long ago and had given them a hand with the wax orbs by taking them all to the dumpsite. The work was over and both swarms were currently buzzing back in the direction of the Hive while only one reasonably-sized company stayed behind to deal with this awful incident.
Commander Ce appeared before his Scouts, followed by the small group of older Flyers. He was frowning. “No trace of him…”
Unit 33 moaned and wailed, and Le turned weeping aloud.
Commander Ce eyed Da. “How did you two end up here anyway?”
The young Scout was staring at the ground and did not respond.
“Trooper DadoY3961, look at me! Report!”
Da snapped out of it. “Target practice, Sir,” he whispered in a strange, broken voice. “We came here to train with our blasters.”
“Train. You came to play,” murmured Commander Ce. “Waterworms don’t forgive mistakes.” After pausing for a moment, he continued, “Pa 2 was a fine Scout. Agile, zealous and dedicated. We’ll remember him with pride.”
Everybody glared silently at the murky water.
“We must be going now, before the night catches us.”
The young Scouts got to their feet, all except Da who remained crouching on large stone.
“Come, Da,” said Xe compassionately, putting hand on his back. “Let’s go home.”
His friend nodded without a single word and followed him. While ascending, he cast a glance at the dreadful splash one last time.
Pa 2’s body was never found.
12.
Gone
“Here you are.”
Le sobbed. “Thanks.”
The Scouts were kneeling around the base of the huge thickened stalk of the Blacksun plant, with needle-like leaves encircling each segment in six widely spaced levels. The attractive flowers once adorning the plant top were long gone by now, replaced by elliptical green shells swollen with ripening seeds.
Due to the need to temporarily boost scouting company one, scouting company three was now smaller than usual and consisted of only seven units. The Supremes had assessed that number to be sufficient for questing with the Commanders following their orders as always. Fortunately, that day company only encountered several noisy Grasshoppers and one clumsy Caterpillar; a big but harmless creature clad in gaudy colors and preoccupied with devouring metal-fortified foliage in enormous chunks.
Le accidentally got hurt. Carelessly clicking her hand spikes while flying at a considerable velocity, she had banged the left one against the ill-placed branch of some tall Buddi Buddi and bent it. Xe managed to fix the spike to some degree by banging it with a stone, but he couldn’t make it as straight as it was before. Pulling the twisted spike back to its holder in her lower arm proved impossible, and Le had to push it for her to get it inside. She lowered her head and sighed.
“Come on, it’s not that bad,” Xe tried to encourage her.
“Not bad? I’m disfigured and ugly and will remain so for good. Why is fate so hard on me?”
“Don’t exaggerate, Le. There are far worse things in this world.”
Nobody could forget Pa 2’s death. But it hit Da the most, as they had been very close, and his emotional recovery was painfully slow. Commander Ce didn’t give him a day of leave and kept sending him on missions. ‘Work is going to be the best remedy for him, taking his thoughts off the bad things,’ the Scoutmaster claimed. Da performed his tasks well, but talked very little.
“I know, I know,” said Le grimly. “Unfortunate Pa 2. And poor Ka, remember him? There have been so many tragedies. Only tragedies and calamities in endless streams.” She tried to pop her deformed spike; it went out bit by bit, getting stuck several times.
“Maybe Go is right. It’s best to be a Queen. You just sit all day in your chamber being served and pampered by everybody, and getting whatever you desire. No risk, no dangers. Why wasn’t I born a Queen?”
“Don’t speak like that, Le,” objected Xe, as no Eol was supposed to comment on the Queen. But he saw her point. He just wasn’t ready to admit it aloud. ‘Order above all,’ as Supreme BeraX7719 would say.
Ten steps away from them, Commander Ce lifted his hand.
“Troopers, the break is over. Gather around. Lookouts, all clear?” he yelled to Go and Xe 60 who were on guard duty high at the Blacksun plant top.
“All we can see are Peaceful Flies, Sir!” replied Go.
“Good. Come down now. Scout unit 33, get ready for take off.”
As it was getting late, the scouting company headed home joining gathering swarm three along the way. A large crowd of their kind made Eeols feel safe and comfortable. Additionally, the weather was great, warm and dry and windless. The Grasshopper Stone was just passing underneath, dirty-white in the hot sunrays.
Softly buzzing, Xe was flying next to Da. His looks had him worried.
“How are you, Da?” he asked tactfully.
Da’s head barely turned toward him. “Same.”
“With time you’ll feel better, you’ll see.”
The young Trooper paused, like he was thinking about something.
“What’s on your mind?”
“Strange thing,” grunted Da. “You have a friend. You serve together and hang around together, and the whole time you take for granted it’s going to be this way forever. And then one day he isn’t around anymore. Just like that.” He looked down. “You don’t even get a chance to say goodbye. If I could do at least that…”
Thoughtful, Xe didn’t reply.
“It’s my fault, you know,” asserted Da in depressed voice.
“What are you talking about?”
“What happened to Pa 2.” He pursed his lips. “It was a mistake to go to the plash in the first place, and I knew that. I should’ve stopped him, but I didn’t. I just stupidly assumed all would be fine, and now Pa 2 is… dead.”
Xe exhaled noisily. “Don’t think like that! It was the damned Waterworm who kill him, not what you did. Tragedies sometimes happen and we can do nothing about it. Stop blaming yourself, Trooper.”
“Understood, Sir,” replied Da, not sounding persuaded.
Later in the Hive, after the Evening Rally was finished, Xe walked Da to his sleeping chamber. He was showing no improvement. The young Scout was returning to his quarters all by himself, musing over his friend’s condition, when he encountered Commander Ce in one of the countless corridors.
“I was looking for you, Trooper XeraM6697. I want a word with you.”
“Yes, Sir,” he replied automatically and halted.
“As you probably know, your progress is being closely monitored,” continued Commander Ce in smooth voice. “The Supremes are pleased with your results and find your performance admirable. Therefore, as your Scoutmaster, I’m honored to announce that within several days there will be a promotion for you.”
“Promotion, Sir?” said Xe, greatly surprised.
“You will be appointed Commander Green.”
“I… I don’t know what to say, Sir. I’m not too young to be in command?”
“Not at all. I got a commanding position at an early age too.”
Even though it wasn’t uncommon to stay Troopers for their entire lives, many Eeols would earn a promotion over the course of
time and Xe had expected to become a Commander by all means, just not this quickly.
“Besides,” noted Commander Ce, “another First Flight is planned. Summer is here and the swarms have to be boosted with fresh forces. Soon there will be new Starters around to teach and train, and the Supremes must start increasing the number of Commanders.”
That conversation continued to echo in Xe’s ears while he headed to his sleeping chamber, sneaking into it quietly as not to disturb his roommates.
Changing status from Trooper to Commander also meant he would have to move out, as Swarm rules forbidden the two categories to mix. Commanders resided in more spacious quarters in the underground usually only one per chamber; however, Xe got used to these quarters and felt somewhat reluctant to leave it.
After the death of Xe 73, he got two new roommates, one Xera batch and one Leta batch. But he found only three droplet-like shapes hanging from the ceiling asleep. As it turned out, Xe 1 was still awake.
“Hail, Xe 97,” he whispered, seated on the blunt-edged piece of wax. “You look excited.”
“It shows?” The young Scout sat down on the floor next to him and softly talked about his upcoming promotion.
“Great. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. But I do regret that I must leave you fellows. How come you are awake so late?”
“Me?” Xe 1 suppressed a giggle. “I couldn’t sleep. I’m also too excited. While gathering this afternoon we spotted a splendid troop of Poolases passing by.”
“Poolases? I have never encountered any.”
That kind of Relatives was rare. Being solitary dwellers, they seldom traveled in groups, and those probably joined together only for the sole purpose of migrating to the other territory.
“The troop flew swiftly over our pasture; twenty of them in a wedge-like alignment. They were huge and clad in pure white armors with silver-colored helmets, air-screws and belts. A gorgeous sigh, I tell you.”
Scout just waggled his head. “Life is easy for Relatives.”
But Xe was wrong in believing only he would have to relocate.
The Call of the Swarm Page 12