//------------------------------//
// The Hive and Its Children 
// Story: Long Live the Queen 
// by Laarsgaard 
//------------------------------//

	I awoke suspended in a green bubble. As entertaining as it was to float inside of a bubble was I needed out. I tried to move and I felt pain course through my body as I tried to shift my muscles. I grunted in pain. It was rather frustrating being stuck in here. I looked out and watched drones flit by doing their mind numbing work. The drones were mindless. If two of them could scrape together enough cells for a brain stem they might be able to have made a decision for themselves. It was wonderful being at the top, I actually had the luxury of thought, but it was not something I did often.

I realized though that I was not at least piled in with the dead. I was glad I had that much value at least. But now I was stuck here, in the healing bubble. So I slept.

It took me three weeks to finally get out of the damn thing and I was ready to start things.

The bubble burst, pouring viscous, neon fluid around coating the ground. I tried to stand but slipped. There was a deep chuckle from the shadows surrounding me.

“I thought you were passed your hatchling days Krom.” I felt my choler rise.

“Well can one of you idiots just come help me up, or am I going to have to send both you off to the pits?” There was another deep chuckle and the other two praetorians of the hive came out of the darkness. Horus and Kronus, Kronus was one of my brood and Horus, well I had no idea where he had come from, he was before my time.

Horus was grizzled and his flesh was gangly, his black scales had begun to take on shades of silver causing him to consider leaving behind the battlefield forever and take on a leadership role solely. It was odd to think that someone could leave the battlefield behind without having fallen upon it. Kronus on the other was young and fit. His muscles were taut and fresh. Kronus was too young to have yet known the queen the way Horus and I had, he had also been denied the privilege of seeing the battlefield, he was still far too young to know what combat truly was. But soon he would know what one on one honorable combat would be.

Kronus helped me to my feet. I thanked him and shook myself clean of the green healing chemicals. I looked up to my fellow praetorians.

“Where did they take her?” Horus turned and headed back into the shadows, I followed.

“We put her in the contamination chamber. We had no idea what else to do.” Horus answered. I nodded. I would have done the same.

“It’s time brothers.” I stated. The two of them looked at me. Kronus didn’t know what I was speaking about, but Horus did.

“I would think it is too early for such.” Horus replied. We turned and twisted through hive’s small and unlit walkways. It wasn’t difficult for us to navigate, we could see in the dark as well as the light, a gift of evolution. We walked out of the tunnels and into the light of the main chamber.

The main chamber was massive, hundreds of miles across. It was lit by a brutal neon green glow that seemed to associate itself with our race like a plague. I watched as drones and warriors dashed about under the watchful eyes of the task masters. As I watched the diminished hive work I noticed one of the drones slip and crash into the ground. One of the task masters moved instantly. The drone’s small frame was easily impaled by the task master’s massive hook that hung off of the back of the task master’s front leg. The task master flew off with the writhing drone squealing for mercy.

I cringed for the little brainless thing. It was off to the pits for recycling. No matter how few of us there were, who was the queen, or who was in charge, the hive never stopped.

“It’s too early for the Blood Rite, Krom. We must first have the burial.” I nodded at Horus’ words.

“You’re right old man. We need the behemoths though, and we lost them before we even made it to Canterlot.”

“How?” Kronus asked.

“Hydra,” I stated calmly. “We couldn’t stop to help. There wasn’t enough time to do anything. I don’t know if they are even still there.” Horus looked over at me.

“How did you manage lose all of them?” 

“Well, there is that little thing where they don’t have wings, or, you know, big brains.” 

“Just goes to show that it’s all about where the genes come from eh?” Horus commented. I failed to state that over half of those behemoths just so happened to be older than I and thus fell under his blood line. I didn’t need to state just how devastating the loss of our behemoths was. Without the massive, lumbering brutes we were at a huge disadvantage in our combat prowess. It probably meant the eventual death of the hive without the precious genes they carried.

Throughout all of this Kronus had remained silent as was his place. Horus had dealt with this through the past ten queens, which to me was rather amazing. I looked to him as a tutor or at least some kind of mentor. I did come from him after all.

“Do you think some might still be out there?” asked Kronus. Horus and I turned as one on the younger of our order. But I was given pause in my rage as I considered his question. It was not an impossible idea, but I couldn’t decide if it was really truly worth it.

“Whelp!” Horus roared. “You speak as if your word matters!” Kronus bowed his head and backed away. I stepped between my two companions. I looked at Horus.

“Brother, these are dangerous times for the hive.” I looked at Kronus. “We don’t know whether or not we can survive.” I moved to the edge of the balcony and looked down on all of the small drones and warriors, the occasional task master and the massive guards that stood at the entrances, ready to kill any and all threats. It was beautiful to see all of these lives working for the better of the whole and it hurt to think that it all might be worth nothing. 

“Horus,” I began. “Gather as many warriors and whatever carriers you can, we’re going to go recover our behemoths.”