“Commander XeraM6697,” hailed the Head Page, seeming a little surprised to encounter him. “What brings you here at this late hour?”
“Head Page.” Xe nodded in return. If he was to find out anything, he had to pull this off tactfully. “I just came to take a breath of fresh air before my rest. And what brings you here, if I may ask?”
“We are here to observe the stars.”
“Stars?”
“Yes, Commander,” the Head Page said, waiving to his Eeols to continue with their work while he was engaged in conversation. “By the stars it’s possible to determine the exact stage of a season. That’s the best method to measure the passing of time. And the moon, it’s also very useful.”
The young Green looked up mechanically, but there was no moon in the dark sky.
“Young moon tonight, Commander. Nonetheless, its cycles divide the year into sixteen equal parts which is handy for orientation. We are now in the seventh moon.”
Xe shrugged without much interest. “Seems those star observations require quite a party.”
“That’s just a precaution. Night can be treacherous and many pairs of eyes see better than the few. Not to mention the benefit of extra weaponry. Strength in numbers is advantageous against every adversary, Commander.”
But after that last line he stiffened.
Horror stung Xe’s heart as he knew perfectly well what had crossed the Head Page’s mind in that very instant. Every adversity beyond the Evil; strength in numbers or anything else, against the Evil of Maya Flower all defenses were useless.
But that was something Eeols didn’t talk about. The Head Page adjusted his visor, smiled again and continued in his usual flat voice, “Is that all, Commander?”
“Actually, I would like to ask one more question.”
“What is it?”
“Why are you advising the Masters of Internals to obscure the truth about the outer world to the Internals? Why must we grow up in total ignorance of reality?”
“Ah. So your friend has told you.”
“Let me guess, Page. The Queen’s will.”
“Not exactly, although she does support this arrangement; otherwise it wouldn’t be in place. It’s simply traditional, Commander. We talk about an old custom of our kin which, as far I know, exists in all Eeol Hives.”
There was distrust in Xe’s expression.
“You wonder what the point of such a practice is, but it’s for the best. Let the Internals live gleeful and cheery in their ignorance. Why would you spoil the best period of their lives by taking that golden sense of safety away from them? No matter it’s false. Internalhood is the only time when an Eeol can be truly happy.”
Xe shook his head, not accepting this explanation fully. “If you say so, Page…”
“The ways of the Swarm often don’t seem right at first glance. You may not understand them at present, Commander, but you will in time. We are not individual creatures but one single body. We are the Swarm.”
Now he was starting to sound just like Supreme BeraX7719, thought Xe jadedly. Instead of opposing the Head Page, he opted to retreat to the Hive and buzzed up his air-screw. He needed rest as the new tasks would be waiting for him in the morning. “Sure, Page. As the Queen commands,” he replied automatically.
An elusive smile crossed the lips of MedaM0075, and his eyes glinted as they followed the leaving Scout. “But no, my young friend. It is as the Swarm commands.”
Due to being up so late, the next morning Xe felt a bit drowsy.
Unit 33 answered their Scoutmaster’s summons and gathered around him in the Central Chamber as usual. The Morning Rally was already over. Today only the accessory swarms were to fly out on the quests. The swarm number one had to escort the training Starters which had a lesson in the pastures and needed Matures in large numbers around to shield them; although foes went less active lately, the risk was never to be taken too lightly.
“Scout unit 33, I have news,” announced Commander Ma. “First the good one. Trooper DadoY3961 is to be appointed a Green in couple of days. We wish him success, and may he honor his new position and serve the Swarm well. Trooper DadoY3961, you have a true reason to rejoice. There is no duty more rewarding beyond that of a Commander.”
Yeah, thought Xe ironically, it’s wonderful to be a Commander. Yet he swallowed his acrimony and remained silent while the rest of unit turned to Da, patting him on the shoulders and complimenting loudly, “Congratulations! Congratulations!”
Da looked quite puzzled and he was lost with words. The promotion obviously came as a surprise to him.
“Second thing. As you can see, Trooper GogoM2783 is not here with us. That’s because she is in punishment, and will remain so until the day after tomorrow.”
Xe glared. Really, Go was nowhere to be seen. He totally failed to notice her absence.
“Commander RalaN6620 made a formal complaint against her to the Supremes for the commotion she caused in flying formation yesterday, getting her condemned for insubordination and lack of discipline. As it’s her first offense, the penalty is two days only.”
Poor Go, thought Xe; but she brought it on herself by her own actions. Frankly, she should have ended up in punishment a long time ago, and she would have if not for late Commander Ce who had protected her. Anyway, the penalty probably consisted of the honey-making duty. It was boring, but mere two days shouldn’t be too hard to endure.
Back in the meadows, the Scouts forgot about Go and her problems. Their friend’s incoming promotion was the main subject everybody talked about while checking a large grove of Samse plants. Having recovered from the initial shock, Da beamed with pride and already day-dreamed about leading a unit of his own, commanding his Scouts and carrying out demanding tasks with outstanding dedication.
He described it in detail to Xe as they patrolled around freshly-green Samses shoots. Overhead, no lavish partly-red and partly-yellow Samses blooms winked between large triangular leaves, as the grove was too young. There was no pasture for Eeols here.
While usually coy with words, this time Da got lost in the long monologue, and Xe didn’t even try to interrupt him. The young Green just let his friend talk, listening and nodding patiently until he has finished.
Despite all his excitement, there was one thing Da couldn’t resist bringing up; the question of Xe’s apparent indifference when obtaining his own commandership. It was puzzling and beyond the grasp of Da’s understanding how anybody could be unaffected by that.
“Didn’t you make plans before your promotion?” he asked. “Did you imagine yourself as a Commander and think about how would you do in that role?”
“No, Da. I just let it happen.”
“How so?” He shook his helmeted head in bewilderment. “I don’t get you. I had my mind set on this since we were Internals.”
“I don’t know how I would put it,” said Xe. “I–”
But their conversation was interrupted in the most violent way.
The raspy buzz rumbled like an ear-splitting thunder. In a fraction of a second, thick metallic herbage above the Scouts’ heads shattered away, and a huge Long-legged Grabbing Fly sprang out swift as the wind. The monster leapt at Xe with brutal force and its ugly faceted eyes seeming to stare rights into his. The vertigo overcame the helpless Eol. He fell on his back pinned down by the insect great weight with blood wetting his armor.
But the blood was of a foul, greasy, disgusting sort. Oozing like mud and reeking terribly, it couldn’t be from an Eeol. The young Green blinked and came back when he heard somebody speaking sternly by his side.
“Commander XeraM6697, are you getting up?” asked Commander Ma.
The Scout looked up. The carnivorous Fly lay on top of him motionless, bleeding severely from its wounds and with its ugly head hanging down. The insect’s once glittering armor was smashed to smithereens. Xe lifted his head further to see the blasters smoking in both of Commander Ma’s hands. Da, who got flung aside during the attack, was kneeling by
his side, blanched-white in face.
“I tailed you two from the beginning,” explained Commander Ma in a calm tone. “I anticipated something bad might happen today as your excitement rendered you unwary. That was extremely stupid behavior, Scouts, don’t do that ever again. And Commander XeraM6697, you think way too much.”
Still shivering, Xe pushed the heavy carcass aside and got to his feet. Besides being covered in filth, he was completely unscathed.
Why was everybody telling him that?
19.
Days of Plenty
“So, how did it go?”
Go grinned. “Not so bad.”
The Scouts of unit 33 were waiting for the Morning Rally to start as they sat on the round pieces of wax huddled in the narrow corridor that opened to the Central Chamber a few steps away. From above they had a good view of the hordes of impatient Starters making a flutter down on the waxy floor.
“Sure, the honey-making was boring as ever, but I met some interesting fellows, and all things considered I had a pretty good time.”
“These fellows were also in punishment?” asked Xe curiously.
“Not all of them. There were only five of us Flyers in a group of about eighty, the rest were the cripples. We got one Master oversee us, I forgot his name, but he wasn’t present for the entire time. Actually, he showed up only briefly and thus we could babble as much we desired.”
Xe smiled at her jolly tone. He didn’t really believe disciplining would amend Go’s behavior as he knew her too well, but he feared it might depress her. On the contrary, his friend returned unbroken and sparkling with defiance. Maybe it was a good thing she didn’t mind getting punished as there was not the slightest doubt that she would earn a lot more of it in the future.
“And get this,” she went on passionately. “I met a seven year old fellow. Can you imagine that? A full seven years! Old Commander Fa, that is his name. He has some great stories from the Hive’s past, although he talks with difficulty. He’s virtually unable to make honey anymore, or to do anything useful for that matter. Seven years! The oldest Eeol in the Hive, they say.”
“The Queen is older than that,” noted Da. “She’s nine, I trust.”
“The Queen,” snorted Go with open contempt, and continued with her story. “Furthermore, there was one character who is most colorful indeed. A Gatherer called Trooper KappaP5513.”
“Oh yes, I heard of him,” said Xe, amused. “That’s the slacker from gathering swarm number four. He’s famous for ending up in punishment all the time!”
“I heard of him too.” Da was angry. “He has a habit of shirking his duties. The Swarm arrives on the pasture and he disappears. Much later, they find him in some hole in the ground asleep or whatever. Shame!”
“Why does he do it?” marveled Xe.
“We asked him, but his answers are vogue. He’s simply a very confused sort, I reckon. But tell me,” Go suddenly changed the subject and eyed Xe and Da, smirking. “I heard Commander Ma saved you two from the Hunting Fly the day before yesterday. You wew a little careless, didn’t you? Jabbered away during duty, ‘Commanders’?” She strongly emphasized the last word.
Visibly embarrassed, Da lowered his head.
“We were ambushed,” protested Xe. “It wasn’t our fault!” But he was fully aware that it was; nothing but a stupid lack of attention from their side.
“Sure,” Go scoffed. “Good thing Commander Ma was there to guard your back.”
“We are deeply grateful for his help,” said Xe. “Our Scoutmaster is a fine Commander. He’s not Commander Ce, but he’s skilled. I misjudged him, I’m not ashamed to admit.”
“I knew he would suit us at first sight,” Da couldn’t help remarking.
“He’s arrogant and irritating!” snarled Go. “But then again, perhaps he has some good qualities. And it wasn’t him who put me in punishment… not sure. Time will tell.”
Xe was lost in his thoughts again, brooding upon memories of Commander Ce, so he recoiled with surprise when somebody unexpectedly tapped him on the shoulder from behind. He turned to face Te 16, his friend from Commanders’ Area.
“Oh, hail there. I didn’t see you coming.”
Te 16’s face was serious. “Hail Xe, I was passing by when I noticed your gang. There’s something you fellows need to know. Scout Wa 17 from company one got killed yesterday.”
“What?” The entire unit 33 gathered around in a heartbeat. “Wa 17 is dead?”
Te 16 nodded.
“I just heard the news from some Watchers. The Waterworm got him. Apparently, there was a puddle bordering the flower field everybody deemed too shallow for abominable larvae to spawn in, yet it turned out one was lurking there after all. They haven’t found the body.”
“You can’t be too careful,” murmured Go, peering over Da’s shoulder.
“That’s so true,” said the Eeoless in a low voice, restarting her air-screw. “I must be going. Bye till the evening.”
After she buzzed off, the Scouts went silent for a while.
“No more of Wa 17,” muttered Xe 36. “We won’t see him again.”
“No more quarrels,” said Da, clicking the red spike out of his wrist absentmindedly.
“This is so wrong!” Xe’s expression turned grim. “Look at us, rejoicing over the death of a fellow Eeol! Where’s the honor in that?”
“We are not rejoicing,” grumbled Da in defense. “The fact is it simplifies some things, that’s all.”
“Enough! I don’t want to hear it!” Abruptly getting upset, the young Green began to shout uncontrollably, waving his hands so hard that his fists swiped against the waxy sides of the corridor.
Other Scouts glanced at him. “What got into you?!”
Xe replied nothing but activated his air-screw with an ear-piercing buzz. He couldn’t take it anymore. He was so sick of everything, of deaths and constant tragedies, and quite honestly, of his life. He needed a break.
“Where are you going? The Rally is about to start!”
“Back to my sleeping chamber,” he hissed in odd hoarse voice sounding nothing like his. Not waiting for a reply, he bolted to the bottom of the corridor, leaving his baffled Scouts to stare at one another.
There was a narrow and wriggling hallway descending from one secluded corner of the Central Chamber down to the Hive’s subterraneous belly, and by using it, Xe avoided the Main Tunnels and reached the Commanders’ Area quickly and without hassle.
At this time of day, the Area was totally empty and as quiet as a grave. Breathing heavily, the Scout eased onto the piece of wax rubble gleaming dirty-green that was laid at the bend of one of the passageways. He covered his face with his hands and started weeping.
But after several minutes, he calmed down. The nervous crisis was over and he felt better.
“What am I doing here?” Xe asked himself, standing up.
I was behaving like a fool, he thought. How could I leave my friends to run away and hide? No, he had his duties, and regardless of all the hardships he had to carry on like everybody else in the Swarm. Not wasting any more time, he darted back the way he came.
The Morning Rally has just begun. His unit was perched at the round hallway opening overlooking the Central Chamber where Supreme BeraX7719 was in the middle of one of his speeches on the importance of order. Obviously relieved to see him again, the Scouts whispered hails to their Green and nobody appeared to be resentful.
“Are you good?” asked Te in silent voice. Others around them were giving him concerned looks.
“Yes, I’m fine. I’m sorry I acted that way. I don’t know what I was thinking. Please, let’s not mention it anymore.”
His Scouts simply shrugged.
The long hot summer kept unrolling, making the air of the great flatlands quiver with heat.
The training of the youngsters has finished. The Hive saw the Assessment Day come and go, and the troops of Flyers received their replacements at last; meaning the food collecting would speed
up markedly from this point on.
Unit 33 was assigned eight Starters which brought it back to its original number of twenty Scouts. The old members seethed with curiosity as they walked through the jam-packed clearing in front of the Hive. As always, Eeol lookouts were deployed all over the place to keep an eye on the lush brassy vegetation rustling in the warm breeze.
“I’m dying to see our reinforcements,” said Da, adjusting his helmet impatiently.
What damn reinforcements, nothing but mere children, though Xe but said nothing. As Commander Ma was held up in the meeting of Masters in the Principal and was not expected to appear before noon, the obligation to welcome Starters and give them preliminary instructions fell on him, and he had to be up to the task.
Xe stood in the front of new members of Unit 33. There were eight fresh Scouts in shiny red armors, mustered in a neat array and straightened in the official stance; he couldn’t complain, their mentors had taught them well.
“Hail, Sir!” they shouted all at once.
“Hail, Starters,” replied Xe, while the old gang spread out behind him trying to keep their faces impassive. He observed his youngsters closely. Six males, two Eeolesses; all in the flush of youth, full of strength and vigor. Xe was surprised that his own armor markings looked almost orange in comparison with the light yellow hue of theirs. Some of the youngsters seemed very eager while others were playful and not particularly interested.
“Starters, welcome to Scout unit 33,” said Xe, trying to sound confident. “My name is Commander XeraM6697, a Green. As you already know, our Scoutmaster MappaY5370 is in the meeting with Supremes and is going to join us later. In the meantime, I’ll supply you with directives. Remember, from this moment on you are Scouts.”
He took one step aside and pointed toward the old gang. “Matures of our unit.” Xe named them, followed each time with a nod from the called Scout. Only Go murmured something too distorted to be understandable.
“Now you will step out and state your names one at the time.” He knew them already but they were all names he had never heard of before; which was understandable, as many new batches have come since Xe was a Starter. “In order as the line goes, beginning from the left.”
The Call of the Swarm Page 20