Apologies to some, this is going to be a longer chapter than I'll usually do, but quite a lot happened in a very short burst of time and I wanted to cover it all without taking TOO long to advance to the juicy bits. Things won't always be this closely detailed, I'll especially be taking time to give a wider view of the nearby stars in the next update.
As you say, you can interpret things in different ways and make a lot of different arguments. I'm ultimately pretty happy and not going to second guess my decisions too much, although in retrospect some clever modding would've helped me be a lot more satisfied.
Thank you for the compliments - I like Let's Plays, but there's nothing like an AAR for conveying a Paradoxian narrative.
Chapter 03 - The Exile
----- -=-=- ----- -=-=- -----
PREVIOUS CHAPTER - NEXT CHAPTER
----- -=-=- ----- -=-=- -----
THE HIVE
----- -=-=- ----- -=-=- -----
Across All-Mother, a hundred Queen-Mothers rejoiced in unison as Its Voice crept into their minds. The Eldest had seen fit to disseminate to them, at long last, vital clues and information. The songs of the drones echoed throughout the twelve Great Hives, and the Queen-Mothers themselves greedily took all the knowledge that the Voice would give. The facts lay before them - terrifying, but true. It was not alone in this galaxy, and that which lay beyond the stars was not peaceful. Not one, but three space-faring life forms had been identified, each as strange and alien as the last. Each was beyond communication or the understanding of The Hive.
A pack of strange creatures, was the first to be discovered, sailing throughout All-Father's own warm sun. Bursts of energy transferred between the creatures suggested some kind of communication, but they were beyond Its understanding, nor could It successfully contact them. As soon as these creatures appeared, It watched as they disappeared into the void.
Stranger yet, in a nearby system, Her Eyes discovered a mysterious cloud of dust and gas. Ordinarily, such a formation would offer little to consider, but this cloud moved towards the Hive Vessel with purpose and seeming intelligence. Her Eyes were able to observe a lattice of bright energy dancing through the cloud before It was forced to withdraw from the system for Its Vessel's safety.
Near All-Father's Younger Brother, the Hive found yet another discovery: a huge, strange creature. Again, impossible as it seemed, this was biological life travelling unimpeded through the void. Such incredible biology was beyond the scope of Its Hive, and such a concept was greatly exciting to Its Brain-Aberrants. Could It utilise this biology for Its purpose?
Crystal. It was the last anomaly It had expected to display intelligence, and yet It could not deny that the crystal entities moved through the void with malice and harmful intent. Fast, aggressive, dangerous; It had watched Its patrol vessel suffer two hull breaches and nearly face destruction as Its study of the entities was interrupted by a violent launching of crystal shards, each the size of a large missile. Such creatures would need to be overcome if the Hive was to master Its void.
The Queen-Mothers sensed It, a brief trepidation from their Eldest Voice, before It was cut off. The last of the data transmitted from the Throne flowed into their minds, combined with an embedded hormonal trigger which sent soothing waves of pleasure through their monstrous bodies. Most of the Queen-Mothers were happily sedated by this experience, but a few still pondered the last of the data. Her Eyes had found something strange on one of All-Father's children: the frozen Satellite of Vurl-Takren, or Father's Tears.
"Truthseeker, are you ready? He has the data ready, it is prepared for you," he spoke aloud.
As he turned the corner into the main computer cluster, each monitor came alive, including one with a ghostly, insectoid face made purely of light. Truthseeker was an exceptionally advanced Artificial Intelligence, one of the finest and one of the last legacies of the Enlightenment project. Now it was finally the time for him to exercise his purpose.
"Is it so, Dormant Light? Oh, I truly have looked forward to this! You built me just for this, didn't you?"
The Exile chattered irritably and pulled the data-stick forth, slotting it into one of the computer bank's many ports. A second later, and Truthseeker had already begun to transfer the data across.
"He has told you before, He did not build you, and that is no longer His name. We of the Hive no longer have any names, not since the Voice purged our thoughts."
"But you still think. You breathe. You live. You may call yourself The Exile, but you are still Dormant Light. Upload complete - your instructions?"
"Turn off that noise."
"Of course," Truthseeker said cheerfully. The sound of the emergency alarm came to an abrupt halt mid-wail.
"Good," the Exile exhaled in relief. "Truthseeker, does the Vessel still approach us?"
"Of course, it is clear we can no longer hide our readings from their upgraded sensors. They have hailed us several times, but I have maintained comm silence as per your orders."
"The next time they signal us, reply. He wants to talk to them."
"Are you certain, Dormant Light? If the Hive learns of your existence, they will-"
"Kill Him? Most certainly, Truthseeker; but only if they can catch Him. Completing His final project is now the most important. He might finally strike back.
The monitor flickered to life, revealing what was certainly one of the Voices of the Hive. The Exile had been monitoring Hive transmissions for some time, so he was more than familiar with the Voice of the Mother's perspective and ruling structure. The Queen-Mother and other independent castes had retained their sentience and independence to a degree, but now all were bound to the Throne and the Eldest Voice, unable to resist its will and its technology. Like this, his people weren't much better than unwitting slaves.
"Brain-Aberrant, explain Itself. It has not approved this. It has not permitted this. Is It the work of His Laws, or Hers? What does It do on Father's Tears?" the Voice said.
"You are the Voice of Her Eyes?" the Exile guessed.
"That is correct," It replied. "The Voice of the Mother does not know or recognise you, Brain-Aberrant. Why does It not open Its mind to the Voice?"
"He is not of the Voice," the Exile replied, his mandibles twitching in both fear and exhilaration. "No, He is free of Mother's Hive, and of the Voice of the Mother and Its control. He speaks not to you, but to the Eldest Voice. Speak to Her, not to you."
It didn't take a psychic link to sense the cold hostility that now came towards him. The Exile tensed up in stress, but the vessel was far away and there was still plenty of time to act. There was a long pause, before the Voice of Her Eyes flickered and shifted colour, going dead before they sparkled with light. The posture of the Voice changed entirely, and then It leaned forward and gazed into the monitor thoughtfully.
"It is...an independent. It is not one with the enlightening song of the Voice. You lack a Purpose, independent. How has It missed such a thing in its midst? How has a Brain-Aberrant made it to Father's Tears without our notice?"
The Exile chattered in amusement. "The Voice of the Mother, for all Its power and sight, is wrong! He has a Purpose, one older than the Voice's. Just because It does not understand Him, does not mean that Its life is meaningless. Just because He is independent, does not change His abilities or their uses."
"Uses?" The Voice leaned back. "The Eldest commands you, speak of what you mean, Independent."
"He will join you. Submit to the Eldest Voice's orders, share with Her the knowledge He has gained here on Father's Tears. There is much of it, you know. He can help the Hive in ways that no slave-Aberrant can. He knows much that-"
"No. It is cunning, manipulates with words. Independents cannot be trusted, they will bring discord to the Hive. It worked too hard for this," the Eldest Voice hissed. "It orders All-Mother's Hive, to strip the facility, to learn Its secrets, to bring the Independent to It for questioning. It will not fool anymore."
The Exile looked to Truthseeker, a grim determination in his eyes. "You heard Her, Truthseeker. Perform your purpose, and He shall perform His."
"Throne, what...happened?"
"What do you speak of, Magnificent One?"
"Last It remembers, It was confronting the Independent. And now..."
"Yes, Magnificent One. Your contact with the Independent ceased three rotations ago. The Voices have yearned for your attention, but I have kept them at bay. I have also ensured that the drones continue to provide you with nutrients and liquids. Your unconsciousness was quite sudden."
Eldest hissed in frustration. "What happened to me?"
"The Magnificent Eldest Voice fell into unconsciousness sixteen minutes, twenty-two seconds following the cessation of transmission from the unknown facility. Forgive me, I do not have an explanation. The Voice of Her Laws has been intently seeking contact with you, Eldest. The Hive is nervous by your absence. It continues."
Eldest hissed and straightened Itself. The report on the Hive Transporter was due. It reached out its mind, and the gaze of the Voices fell upon It. It felt their scrutiny, their worry, their confusion - time spent without the Eldest Voice's presence was unsettling indeed.
"Eldest!" The Voice of Her Laws spoke, "It has completed work on the Hive Transporter schematic, as requested. It is compliant with His Laws and Her Laws. It is sufficient for an entire Great Hive, It only requires the resources. It has completed surveys of nearby system to locate the minerals It may need."
"Behold, Eldest, AR-5159D," the Voice of Her Eyes hissed gleefully. "It is near All-Father, very near. Such bountiful minerals are just what the Hive requires. I ask you, Eldest, to approve construction of mining facilities here. It will provide us with great resources...and It must admit, in Its absence, the Voice of Its Effort has already begun the development of these facilities."
The Eldest took in the information. It hissed, and thought. Its domain already controlled five orbital mining stations, plus two complexes on All-Mother. Still, the quality and quantity of AR-5195D's minerals could nearly double the Hive's industrial capacity. This seemed a more urgent priority than scraping together enough for a Transporter. Eldest would overlook the independent action of Its Effort - for now.
"So be it, It orders the Hive Vessels forth to AR-5159D. Its drones shall descend upon these satellites and rocks, and It shall consume Its minerals. As the Hive prospers, It shall prepare for the trip to the paradise. What have Her Eyes revealed to Its Hive with the other surveys?"
The Voice of Her Eyes clicked excitably...
"A dead cousin, once teeming with life. Intelligent, maybe? It was likely sentient, if primitive; It found the remains. Dead, that poor satellite, its nutrients sapped and stolen. Natural, evolution? Most likely. But All-Mother will not meet such a fate. All-Mother is stronger, her children do not harm her quickly in spite of Its exoskeletons. Now It can create artificial nutrients. Now It is free of that threat. Fascinating, however, to know It is not the only sapient life that has lived."
"...and also, within this very system, It finds more. Seventh satellite endured a great collision most recently. This satellite may have once borne life, It holds atmosphere, some water, but no magnetism, no life in Its core. Empty shell, unlike All-Mother, and any life that cousin held is blasted away by the great collision of rock and satellite. This, too, is another way All-Mother could meet its fate..."
Eldest made no effort to hide its disappointment. "But this cannot be All-Mother's current decline. The rock comes suddenly, unpredictably, and ends all quickly. All-Mother is dying slowly, It knows this. It cannot be a rock."
"The Eldest is right. Her Eyes will continue their search."
Eldest cast Its eyes over the starmap assembled prior this rotation, taking note of the stars further afield. Many had only been briefly surveyed by the Hive Vessels, and further research was required. The nearby stars held vast resources, the Hive would likely be safe from extinction even if All-Mother perished - so long, of course, as the transport to paradise was successful.
"It approves of the Voices' hard work. All-Mother will be pleased with It, for we together are Her Voice, equal to The First in will. Continue your work, Voices, and It shall prepare to speak to the Queen-Mothers.
As the minds of the Voices withdrew to their work, the Eldest flicked through the data transmitted to Its mind by the Throne. Her Laws sought out ways of extending the range of the Throne's control, enabling drones to receive Its orders and Joy even further afield. His Laws acknowledged the great danger of collisions in the void which even armour plating cannot always endure due to the velocity - It had proposed a powerful electromagnetic field which could effectively deflect and divert the paths of incoming missiles well before they reached a Hive Vessel. Its Effort had dedicated itself to solving this problem by resolving engine deficiencies. Hyperspace lanes quickly and efficiently relocated Hive Vessels, but within All-Father's well, they were needlessly slow. By utilising particle-based thrust, the Voice of Its Effort believed it could create a faster and more energy-efficient method of sublight travel. The Eldest Voice approved of these efforts. Its Hive must learn to survive the void's many dangers.
The huge amounts of survey data which was being collated in the Throne was now almost overwhelming, and Eldest knew it was time to let it go free. To the Queen-Mothers It released information on all habitable and formerly-habitable worlds, It shared the joy of the Hive's discoveries with them. The songs of joy would spread once again, and Its absence would go forgotten by the Queen-Mothers as they gained the knowledge and pleasure they sought - for with the new worlds came both knowledge which could save All-Mother, and power and wealth for all her Hives.
Eldest Voice withdrew Itself once more, leaving the Queen-Mothers to their joy. "Throne, can you assist with deducing what happened to It? And explain to It what happened on Father's Tears?"
"Of course, Magnificent One, but your attention is more urgently required elsewhere."
"What?" It hissed, "explain."
"First Contact."
Eldest's eyes widened.
"The Voice of Its Effort, as mentioned, began construction of mining facilities in system AR-5159D. They are reporting contact with four unknown Vessels. They are not of Hive design, but based on initial images and scans, they are armed and closing in on our facilities."
Eldest did not act, but initially it merely watched in awe. "These are no Hive Vessels, and no starfaring salt-drinkers or spike-clams. No strange crystals or energy clouds. The evidence is clear, even if they are not of Mother's Hive, they are intelligent builders. It witnesses for the first time, aliens like Itself!"
As you say, you can interpret things in different ways and make a lot of different arguments. I'm ultimately pretty happy and not going to second guess my decisions too much, although in retrospect some clever modding would've helped me be a lot more satisfied.
Thank you for the compliments - I like Let's Plays, but there's nothing like an AAR for conveying a Paradoxian narrative.
Chapter 03 - The Exile
----- -=-=- ----- -=-=- -----
PREVIOUS CHAPTER - NEXT CHAPTER
----- -=-=- ----- -=-=- -----
THE HIVE
----- -=-=- ----- -=-=- -----
Across All-Mother, a hundred Queen-Mothers rejoiced in unison as Its Voice crept into their minds. The Eldest had seen fit to disseminate to them, at long last, vital clues and information. The songs of the drones echoed throughout the twelve Great Hives, and the Queen-Mothers themselves greedily took all the knowledge that the Voice would give. The facts lay before them - terrifying, but true. It was not alone in this galaxy, and that which lay beyond the stars was not peaceful. Not one, but three space-faring life forms had been identified, each as strange and alien as the last. Each was beyond communication or the understanding of The Hive.
Stranger yet, in a nearby system, Her Eyes discovered a mysterious cloud of dust and gas. Ordinarily, such a formation would offer little to consider, but this cloud moved towards the Hive Vessel with purpose and seeming intelligence. Her Eyes were able to observe a lattice of bright energy dancing through the cloud before It was forced to withdraw from the system for Its Vessel's safety.
Near All-Father's Younger Brother, the Hive found yet another discovery: a huge, strange creature. Again, impossible as it seemed, this was biological life travelling unimpeded through the void. Such incredible biology was beyond the scope of Its Hive, and such a concept was greatly exciting to Its Brain-Aberrants. Could It utilise this biology for Its purpose?
Crystal. It was the last anomaly It had expected to display intelligence, and yet It could not deny that the crystal entities moved through the void with malice and harmful intent. Fast, aggressive, dangerous; It had watched Its patrol vessel suffer two hull breaches and nearly face destruction as Its study of the entities was interrupted by a violent launching of crystal shards, each the size of a large missile. Such creatures would need to be overcome if the Hive was to master Its void.
The Queen-Mothers sensed It, a brief trepidation from their Eldest Voice, before It was cut off. The last of the data transmitted from the Throne flowed into their minds, combined with an embedded hormonal trigger which sent soothing waves of pleasure through their monstrous bodies. Most of the Queen-Mothers were happily sedated by this experience, but a few still pondered the last of the data. Her Eyes had found something strange on one of All-Father's children: the frozen Satellite of Vurl-Takren, or Father's Tears.
----- -=-=- ----- -=-=- -----
THE EXILE
----- -=-=- ----- -=-=- -----
The Exile scrambled through the facility with reckless haste, knocking over several stray boxes and sending their contents scattering across the floor. The alarm siren wailed with its haunting pattern, but the Exile did not have time to silence it; no, there was far too much to do, now that the Hive had found him. It was only a matter of time after the Voice had united them, he couldn't have expected to live here forever, but still, he had not been prepared...THE EXILE
----- -=-=- ----- -=-=- -----
"Truthseeker, are you ready? He has the data ready, it is prepared for you," he spoke aloud.
As he turned the corner into the main computer cluster, each monitor came alive, including one with a ghostly, insectoid face made purely of light. Truthseeker was an exceptionally advanced Artificial Intelligence, one of the finest and one of the last legacies of the Enlightenment project. Now it was finally the time for him to exercise his purpose.
"Is it so, Dormant Light? Oh, I truly have looked forward to this! You built me just for this, didn't you?"
The Exile chattered irritably and pulled the data-stick forth, slotting it into one of the computer bank's many ports. A second later, and Truthseeker had already begun to transfer the data across.
"He has told you before, He did not build you, and that is no longer His name. We of the Hive no longer have any names, not since the Voice purged our thoughts."
"But you still think. You breathe. You live. You may call yourself The Exile, but you are still Dormant Light. Upload complete - your instructions?"
"Turn off that noise."
"Of course," Truthseeker said cheerfully. The sound of the emergency alarm came to an abrupt halt mid-wail.
"Good," the Exile exhaled in relief. "Truthseeker, does the Vessel still approach us?"
"Of course, it is clear we can no longer hide our readings from their upgraded sensors. They have hailed us several times, but I have maintained comm silence as per your orders."
"The next time they signal us, reply. He wants to talk to them."
"Are you certain, Dormant Light? If the Hive learns of your existence, they will-"
"Kill Him? Most certainly, Truthseeker; but only if they can catch Him. Completing His final project is now the most important. He might finally strike back.
The monitor flickered to life, revealing what was certainly one of the Voices of the Hive. The Exile had been monitoring Hive transmissions for some time, so he was more than familiar with the Voice of the Mother's perspective and ruling structure. The Queen-Mother and other independent castes had retained their sentience and independence to a degree, but now all were bound to the Throne and the Eldest Voice, unable to resist its will and its technology. Like this, his people weren't much better than unwitting slaves.
"Brain-Aberrant, explain Itself. It has not approved this. It has not permitted this. Is It the work of His Laws, or Hers? What does It do on Father's Tears?" the Voice said.
"You are the Voice of Her Eyes?" the Exile guessed.
"That is correct," It replied. "The Voice of the Mother does not know or recognise you, Brain-Aberrant. Why does It not open Its mind to the Voice?"
"He is not of the Voice," the Exile replied, his mandibles twitching in both fear and exhilaration. "No, He is free of Mother's Hive, and of the Voice of the Mother and Its control. He speaks not to you, but to the Eldest Voice. Speak to Her, not to you."
It didn't take a psychic link to sense the cold hostility that now came towards him. The Exile tensed up in stress, but the vessel was far away and there was still plenty of time to act. There was a long pause, before the Voice of Her Eyes flickered and shifted colour, going dead before they sparkled with light. The posture of the Voice changed entirely, and then It leaned forward and gazed into the monitor thoughtfully.
"It is...an independent. It is not one with the enlightening song of the Voice. You lack a Purpose, independent. How has It missed such a thing in its midst? How has a Brain-Aberrant made it to Father's Tears without our notice?"
The Exile chattered in amusement. "The Voice of the Mother, for all Its power and sight, is wrong! He has a Purpose, one older than the Voice's. Just because It does not understand Him, does not mean that Its life is meaningless. Just because He is independent, does not change His abilities or their uses."
"Uses?" The Voice leaned back. "The Eldest commands you, speak of what you mean, Independent."
"He will join you. Submit to the Eldest Voice's orders, share with Her the knowledge He has gained here on Father's Tears. There is much of it, you know. He can help the Hive in ways that no slave-Aberrant can. He knows much that-"
"No. It is cunning, manipulates with words. Independents cannot be trusted, they will bring discord to the Hive. It worked too hard for this," the Eldest Voice hissed. "It orders All-Mother's Hive, to strip the facility, to learn Its secrets, to bring the Independent to It for questioning. It will not fool anymore."
The Exile looked to Truthseeker, a grim determination in his eyes. "You heard Her, Truthseeker. Perform your purpose, and He shall perform His."
----- -=-=- ----- -=-=- -----
THE VOICE
----- -=-=- ----- -=-=- -----
The Eldest Voice awoke in a daze. Its mind was foggy from the aftermath of...what exactly had occurred to It? There was no memory, and as It found itself bound to the Throne, It quickly searched for records of what occurred since It had slept. Nothing. Every security log from the last four rotations had been erased.THE VOICE
----- -=-=- ----- -=-=- -----
"Throne, what...happened?"
"What do you speak of, Magnificent One?"
"Last It remembers, It was confronting the Independent. And now..."
"Yes, Magnificent One. Your contact with the Independent ceased three rotations ago. The Voices have yearned for your attention, but I have kept them at bay. I have also ensured that the drones continue to provide you with nutrients and liquids. Your unconsciousness was quite sudden."
Eldest hissed in frustration. "What happened to me?"
"The Magnificent Eldest Voice fell into unconsciousness sixteen minutes, twenty-two seconds following the cessation of transmission from the unknown facility. Forgive me, I do not have an explanation. The Voice of Her Laws has been intently seeking contact with you, Eldest. The Hive is nervous by your absence. It continues."
Eldest hissed and straightened Itself. The report on the Hive Transporter was due. It reached out its mind, and the gaze of the Voices fell upon It. It felt their scrutiny, their worry, their confusion - time spent without the Eldest Voice's presence was unsettling indeed.
"Eldest!" The Voice of Her Laws spoke, "It has completed work on the Hive Transporter schematic, as requested. It is compliant with His Laws and Her Laws. It is sufficient for an entire Great Hive, It only requires the resources. It has completed surveys of nearby system to locate the minerals It may need."
"Behold, Eldest, AR-5159D," the Voice of Her Eyes hissed gleefully. "It is near All-Father, very near. Such bountiful minerals are just what the Hive requires. I ask you, Eldest, to approve construction of mining facilities here. It will provide us with great resources...and It must admit, in Its absence, the Voice of Its Effort has already begun the development of these facilities."
The Eldest took in the information. It hissed, and thought. Its domain already controlled five orbital mining stations, plus two complexes on All-Mother. Still, the quality and quantity of AR-5195D's minerals could nearly double the Hive's industrial capacity. This seemed a more urgent priority than scraping together enough for a Transporter. Eldest would overlook the independent action of Its Effort - for now.
"So be it, It orders the Hive Vessels forth to AR-5159D. Its drones shall descend upon these satellites and rocks, and It shall consume Its minerals. As the Hive prospers, It shall prepare for the trip to the paradise. What have Her Eyes revealed to Its Hive with the other surveys?"
The Voice of Her Eyes clicked excitably...
"A dead cousin, once teeming with life. Intelligent, maybe? It was likely sentient, if primitive; It found the remains. Dead, that poor satellite, its nutrients sapped and stolen. Natural, evolution? Most likely. But All-Mother will not meet such a fate. All-Mother is stronger, her children do not harm her quickly in spite of Its exoskeletons. Now It can create artificial nutrients. Now It is free of that threat. Fascinating, however, to know It is not the only sapient life that has lived."
"...and also, within this very system, It finds more. Seventh satellite endured a great collision most recently. This satellite may have once borne life, It holds atmosphere, some water, but no magnetism, no life in Its core. Empty shell, unlike All-Mother, and any life that cousin held is blasted away by the great collision of rock and satellite. This, too, is another way All-Mother could meet its fate..."
Eldest made no effort to hide its disappointment. "But this cannot be All-Mother's current decline. The rock comes suddenly, unpredictably, and ends all quickly. All-Mother is dying slowly, It knows this. It cannot be a rock."
"The Eldest is right. Her Eyes will continue their search."
Eldest cast Its eyes over the starmap assembled prior this rotation, taking note of the stars further afield. Many had only been briefly surveyed by the Hive Vessels, and further research was required. The nearby stars held vast resources, the Hive would likely be safe from extinction even if All-Mother perished - so long, of course, as the transport to paradise was successful.
"It approves of the Voices' hard work. All-Mother will be pleased with It, for we together are Her Voice, equal to The First in will. Continue your work, Voices, and It shall prepare to speak to the Queen-Mothers.
As the minds of the Voices withdrew to their work, the Eldest flicked through the data transmitted to Its mind by the Throne. Her Laws sought out ways of extending the range of the Throne's control, enabling drones to receive Its orders and Joy even further afield. His Laws acknowledged the great danger of collisions in the void which even armour plating cannot always endure due to the velocity - It had proposed a powerful electromagnetic field which could effectively deflect and divert the paths of incoming missiles well before they reached a Hive Vessel. Its Effort had dedicated itself to solving this problem by resolving engine deficiencies. Hyperspace lanes quickly and efficiently relocated Hive Vessels, but within All-Father's well, they were needlessly slow. By utilising particle-based thrust, the Voice of Its Effort believed it could create a faster and more energy-efficient method of sublight travel. The Eldest Voice approved of these efforts. Its Hive must learn to survive the void's many dangers.
The huge amounts of survey data which was being collated in the Throne was now almost overwhelming, and Eldest knew it was time to let it go free. To the Queen-Mothers It released information on all habitable and formerly-habitable worlds, It shared the joy of the Hive's discoveries with them. The songs of joy would spread once again, and Its absence would go forgotten by the Queen-Mothers as they gained the knowledge and pleasure they sought - for with the new worlds came both knowledge which could save All-Mother, and power and wealth for all her Hives.
Eldest Voice withdrew Itself once more, leaving the Queen-Mothers to their joy. "Throne, can you assist with deducing what happened to It? And explain to It what happened on Father's Tears?"
"Of course, Magnificent One, but your attention is more urgently required elsewhere."
"What?" It hissed, "explain."
"First Contact."
Eldest's eyes widened.
"The Voice of Its Effort, as mentioned, began construction of mining facilities in system AR-5159D. They are reporting contact with four unknown Vessels. They are not of Hive design, but based on initial images and scans, they are armed and closing in on our facilities."
Eldest did not act, but initially it merely watched in awe. "These are no Hive Vessels, and no starfaring salt-drinkers or spike-clams. No strange crystals or energy clouds. The evidence is clear, even if they are not of Mother's Hive, they are intelligent builders. It witnesses for the first time, aliens like Itself!"
Last edited:
