Pit Stops Part 3: Dancing in the Desert
Vector accompanied Agent out the Phantom and through the Most Ila Spaceport. They existed beyond the large entrance, and the city spanned around them. The tops of sandstone buildings cragged against a cloudless blue sky as merchants, traders, and travelers wandered the streets under the watchful eye of Imperial troops.
Agent walked directly to the waiting speeder, Vector followed. He had already given her the coordinates Daizanna shared with him—they lead far, far beyond the Dune Sea. Despite being of the Kind, he could not hear the Iesei well. The two nests had been without contact for millennia, and the separation made the bond weak and unpredictable.
Pausing beside the speeder, Agent turned to him.
"Here." She said suddenly, holding out her hand.
He returned the gesture, and she pressed a comlink into his palm. The listening device was small, shaped to fit inside one's ear, mouthpiece extending midway to the cheek.
"Thank you, Agent, but our hearing is quite sensitive already," he assured.
This was the third item she had given him during their travels together, including the pair of Imperial boots and bracers he now wore. Agent seemed to take pride in her crews' equipment. She gave Kaliyo and himself improvements from time to time without garnishing their stipends from Intelligence.
"In case we get separated," she confirmed.
Serious eyes regarded him. Vector nodded stiffly, paging through the memories of the Start Cluster Casino and their first meeting with Republic SIS in his head. Hunter leading him away. The discord that ripped through the air. Agent's sickly aura, and the continued discoloration. Although he couldn't read her mind, he felt sure Nine had similar thoughts.
"Considerate. Again, thank you." Vector assured, placing a hand on his chest.
Cipher only nodded and turned to sit on the speeder. He put the comlink in his ear, turning it to the lowest setting and synced it with his leader's. The next instant after Vector sat down and took hold of Nine's waist, they were racing through the wide, sandy streets.
They whipped past the cantina, shops, and taxi terminal in a blur, before speeding up the slop exiting Mos Ila. The desert opened wide around them. Dunes of orange and yellow sand rolled in an endless sea forward. The sand glistened in the sunlight, cresting and sloping like gentle arms to embrace the jagged slabs of rusty rock rising from the desert.
The vehicle slowed. They paused on the top of the hill overlooking the expansive sands. Further ahead, formations of rock clustered and crested into mountains and yawning canyons that extended far into the distance. Vector took a deep breath, eyes closing and sampling the hot, dry wind brushing his face. Faintly, a scent lingered, calling to them forward.
Midnight eyes opened and glanced down. Surely Nine could not hear the distant call of the Hive whispering like soft exoskeleton wings beating in the wind. Still, she too seemed to be taking in the vast, grandeur of the azure sky and the sweeping, wind-worn landscape.
The moment ended as suddenly as it began. Cipher twisted the throttle, and the speeder lurched forward again to cut through the vast orange, yellow sand of the desert that opened before them.
The trek took hours. They zoomed over the hot, shifting sands. Civilization passed by. Outposts came and went. The speeder skimmed past old war-torn relics sinking in the sand. They sped by the scavenged remains of warships bearing rusted and scrapped Republic and Imperial insignias.
Twin suns rose high above them by the time they entered unknown territory. In the harsh light, another beacon seemed to be glimmering over the dunes. As they raced over the vast sands of the wide Northern Dune Sea, the whispering song became clear.
'Welcome…Welcome…Welcome.'
The voices of the Iesei called sweetly over the shifting sands. The song grew as the speeder zoomed across the scorching desert, and so did the magnificent light cresting over the sloping sands. He realized it was the Iesei's nest as its three large stacks rose like glittering spires against the sky.
Although the towering insectoid stacks were reminiscent in design to the nests on Alderaan, none there made the light dance so brilliantly. The tiny granules of sand caught the sunlight so vividly, the walls of the nest shone like diamonds—startlingly brighter than those of the Castle Lands.
Tatooine was gifted, or cursed, with two suns. Two unique spectrums of solar light reflected off the dazzling towers. The sand caught the light, and like a billion tiny prisms cast the dual spectrums into a chaotic rainbow that made the towers shine over the landscape—by the stars!
Vector leaned forward to see the glory of the Iesei's nest. His grip on Agent's waist tightened, song swelling with wonder at the sight. Cipher drove nearer, steering the speeder down sloping eye grew round as the cool, blue motes came into view. A ring of glistening crystal-clear water surrounded each stack. No sparse plant life lined the waters; no shadows prevented the twin suns' full days.
The pools reflected the dazzling light back up at the towering insectoid structures, amplifying their glory. His jack went slack. The nest was so brilliant that through his eyes it shone like the twinkling diamond core of a quasar.
"It's beautiful," Agent breathed into the comlink, though he could hear her over the whipping wind.
Vector's head tilted to the side at that.
"You can see the way the nest shines?"
Agent nodded, replying, "Yes, it's been gleaming over the dunes for some time now."
His brow knitted.
"...The Killiks on Alderaan built with the Kind primarily in mind. Although the structures are well known to many there, none outside of our kin have never mentioned the shimmering glory of the Castle Lands."
Vector didn't know why, but he felt compelled to tell Nine this observation. Yellow sparks peppered through her electromagnetic aura. Seated close on the speeder, the inquisitive lights that sparkled through her field seemed to dance before his eyes. While he couldn't read her exact thoughts, he felt certain at that moment they both wondered about the Iesei, their culture, and the structures.
They were of the Kind, but a millennia of separation on another world had created distinctions between the Iesei and Oroboro that were already plainly visible.
'Welcome…Welcome…Welcome. May the beacons guide you.'
The song drifted, swelling louder as they arrived. The speeder skidded to a halt at the top the slope that led to the entrance of the nest. The wide, shimmering main arch gaped at them like the mouth of a cave. Daizanna was waiting in the shade of the entrance.
Her aura flared in welcome as they approached. It was a pleasant sight; he had been unable to see the woman's spectrum clearly through the distortion in the holofeed. Daizanna's electromagnetic aura was light blue from core to corona.
The monochromatic coloring was common among Joiners. Most members of the Iesei would also have the same coloration, just as the two Killik warriors behind her bore. The spun silk dress the Joiner wore draped her frame in deep blue, complementing her lighter aura. Daizanna greeted them with a bow, then turned to him. In unison, they both grazed forearms. With a soft smile, she offered Agent the same gesture. The women rubbed arms in greeting.
'We see you've bought more guests,' Daizanna communicated through the bond.
"Yes, we brought others," he said aloud.
"Let us meet them," she replied verbally, remembering their mental link was exclusive.
Vector gave a small smile. After a moment of mental urging, the Killik emissaries began to crawl their way out of his sleeves, having made themselves comfortable in the lining of his robes. Raising his hands, they skittered in long lines up gloved fingers before taking flight one by one.
Singing with pleasure, the emissaries brushed by Daizanna's hair and caught strands to taste. She laughed lightly—song harmonizing sweetly with their many tiny voices. Her hand reached to touch them in return. A few tickled the tips of her fingers before gathering into a cloud. Flying as one, they rose high above and disappeared into one of the many ventilation apertures in the face of the towering nest overhead.
'Such a lovely song,' Daizanna said. Her voice reverberated in his mind, smile small but effortless.
"Yes," Vector answered, "the emissaries are pleasant to listen to."
Her grin lessened, void-like eyes narrowing slightly. Song dampening, the Iesei realized he wouldn't speak directly through the bond in Agent's presence.
"Come. Now that you have arrived, we can begin the Song of Sharing," Daizanna said pleasantly, smile returning.
Despite favoring the bond, she was far better at relaying gestures than he had been prior to leaving the nest. Vector marveled at the ease of the expression among the Iesei.
Daizanna led them deep into the damp, coolness of the nest. A pleasant change from the dry, scorching climate outside. The very chambers seemed to breathe as air circulated through the Tatooine Hive, pulled in by the fanning beat of a thousand little wings. His dark eyes scanned the patches of fingerlings lining the walls.
Inhaling deeply, Vector could smell heady gold membrosia brewing and the musky wax of the hundreds of egg chambers in the rooms beneath their feet. The hard walls of the nest and shifting sands had muffled their song, but inside the low, continuous jubilation of the Hive rang through his mind and thundered in the swell of his chest.
'Welcome, welcome, welcome. Enter the Oasis.'
The pathway went downward and gradually opened into a cavernous vault. The expansive room could rival the Sith Opera's main stage; the ceiling rose more than eighty meters up with dozens of giant glowsacs illuminating the chamber. The oblong, bioluminescent lights extended down from thick, ropy lines of propolis. The soft, green glow emitted from above made the granulated walls gleam like jewels, reflecting emerald light around the wide, circular chamber. Beside him, Vector could hear Agent's quickening breath and sharpening song. He glanced over his shoulder.
Cipher was not taking in the beauty of the nest, but staring at the sea of Killiks and Joiners that completely filled the large space. The Hive sang as one, all mouths open and sharing in the same refrain. Thousands of members faced forward together, shoulder to shoulder in hundreds of rows neat rows barely a hair apart. The crowd watched their arriving guests with wide, black eyes.
Agent's steps faltered. Every head in the assembly shifted a little to the right to gaze unblinkingly at her as the song continued. A dark spike of anxiety lanced Cipher's sphere. Through the bond, the Hive called out.
'Welcome Dawn Herald. Welcome distant Starchild. Welcome home.'
Agent's aura was murky, as it had always been since that day on Nar Shaddaa. Still, the shocks of dark yellow that spiked through her spectrum now seemed to indicate a more immediate worry. Vector slowed, and Agent came to his side.
"They're all staring…" she whispered.
"Yes. They honor us with their full, undivided attention. All as one," he answered.
Orange eyes looked to the awaiting mass then back to him.
"What should I do?" she asked.
Vector watched the dark yellow hues prickling through her field. He had expected to see a flurry of curious yellow sparks flood her spectrum instead, like during her visit to his Hive on Alderaan. Cipher's unsavory aura had not gone unnoticed. The lesei nest was starting to buzz with questions.
He remembered then that the Oroboro nest had not given this honor on Agent, too busy expanding their home to offer their full attention. She had been an observer. Now that he considered it, she had seemed to appreciate watching from a distance rather than direct interaction. Interested in the nest's activity but also wary of them; at another Joiner's close approach, he remembered her hand had hovered over her weapon.
Vector realized suddenly that Cipher must trust him to some degree. She had willingly traveled a long way to a place that was likely to bring her discomfort, but rather than rely on the threat of violence as before, she was asking him for guidance. The notion sent a small thrill of happiness through him.
"Nothing, if you do not wish to," he assured with a smile. "They want us to share our experiences, hear the song of our journey, and perform with them. That is all."
"How, through the bond?" she questioned.
"Yes, but also through other senses, those of taste, scent, and touch," Vector replied. "But we will not force you to participate, and will serve as your guide throughout your time here. You are our guest, leader, and an envoy to the Empire—we want you to have a pleasant experience among the Kind during your short stay."
Agent listened, eyes and song alert. Drawing a breath, she seemed to center herself. The sharp slices of yellow faded from her aura slightly. The taste of frost lingered in the air as light blue sparks swirled through her sphere.
"I understand. Show me what to do," Nine replied calmly.
Still smiling to ease her worries, Vector gently took her by the elbow.
"Come with us."
Agent let him steer her toward the waiting mass. Daizanna, understanding that Agent couldn't hear the Hive's instructions, beckoned for her to come closer. Cipher offered no resistance. She came to stand before the assembly; aura widening to its normal circumference and fluctuating in tight, quick waves.
From the Hive, one stepped forward—the great Hive Builder. Her large form lumbered forward, the glossy chitinous exoskeleton encasing her body shining in the green light. The old Killik stood two meters above them, her great spiky head nearly as wide across as Agent's blaster rifle was long.
The Hive Builder stopped before him, great black mandibles the size of human hands clicking in pleasure. She greeted them, singing salutations in a bass, age-old chorus that sounded as deep as wind whipping through a canyon. He brushed forearms with her, and the old Killik's shared voice rang through his head.
"Welcome, Dawn Herald and mate."
Ears growing scarlet, Vector paused. Startled by the greeting, he corrected through the bond that he was a companion to Agent, nothing more.
The old Killik's right antenna twitched. White sparks cascaded through the air around her—the shared thought peppering through the assembly. Head tilting, black lensed eyes scanned their forms. The Hive Builder shared how the nest saw the two of them. Thoughts flashed across Vector's synapses.
Muffled speech. So quiet. The bond rising and falling like wind over choppy dunes—the connection damped to provide understanding with lips and gesture to the uninitiated one. Strange.
Views of his posture shifting unconsciously through the viewpoints of kaleidoscopic compound eyes, turning toward the new soft one when anxious hues sliced her troubled sphere. Close.
Their pheromones intertwined in a million, tiny particles and laced each other's skin and clothing like the fine dust after a sandstorm. His hands were heavy with her spiced scent, and her waist and back thick with his. Intimate.
His stomach tightened, understanding their assessment and confusion. Prolonged close contact with one outside of the bond was unusual.
"I can see your ears Vector, what's happening?" Agent asked, glancing between him and the Hive Builder.
"Apologies, Agent. They wrongly assumed the nature of our relationship. We are correcting them," he replied.
Her lips curved up a little. "And?"
"We are companions in service to the Empire, correct?"
"Of course," she agreed, face now neutral.
Bowing his head, Vector tapped the center of his forehead with steepled hands. He was a companion to a figure of authority. They were on a mission together and were not alone. Silently concentrating, he thought of their meeting on Alderaan, the ship, and their travels.
He showed them memories of Dromund Kaas and the Imperial Spaceport. He offered them views of his efforts on the Fleet after the bombardment. He gave them visions; the efficiency and benefits of serving with the Sith Empire, and the possibilities that came with service.
The Iesei accepted this. They buzzed in his mind, generally aware of most that he offered already. In their time on Tatooine, they'd managed to collect information about the Empire, the Republic, those in between, other worlds beyond this, and of many, many soft ones. The desert was vast and had born the fruit of knowledge through many joined. The nest consciousness was extensive.
'What else?' they rumbled through the bond.
Vector paused and confessed that his work was secretive; Agent and himself were servants of Imperial Intelligence.
The Hive buzzed louder, dissatisfied.
He could offer only incomplete thoughts. They pressed, not accustomed to being denied. The gnawing buzzing persisted until it filled the space of his skull. Vector winced. The memories came in pieces, distorted as a shattered datapad screen.
The scent of pickled spaceworm. A whirling, glowing starmap centered on the bridge of their vessel; a galaxy of possibilities. The Empire's reach was wide, far wider than the Kind's.
Aria after aria from the Phantom's many harmonious travels with the universe. The heartbeat of engines changing pace with speed and direction. Kaliyo's bitter smile to match her scent. The Rattataki's murky grey aura blooming with dark pink and red hues—'I'll be watching Bugboy.'
Agent's severe eyes and once bright aura. The perfume of the dead and dying wafting about the women as they returned to the Phantom. Blood. Smoke.
Kaliyo's laughter echoing as he exited the ship. Cipher grabbing his hand and placing it on her waist before they raced over the green, dewy fields of Alderaan by speeder. Generators exploding in halos of fire.
Screwing his eyes firmly shut, Vector focused, centering on his companion and leader: their now primary connection to the Empire.
Agent's calm face staring down the eyepiece of her blaster rifle. The head of a House Cortess guard rupturing into a spray of red mist thirty paces away, aura fading to nothingness. Cipher smearing kolto gel on a bruised and bleeding grey face. The scent of blaster smoke and medicinal mint permeating her scent—a warrior, a healer.
Curious yellow sparks dotting her field like glowbugs, Cipher watching the modifications of House Cortess. Her small smile when he told her of his dreams. 'Go, I will not keep you.' Inquisitive sparks. Understanding tones. 'I've never seen Killiks off of Alderaan…'
Intense orange eyes glaring at him from her command chair over tented fingers. Sparks crackling like lightning through her sphere— 'And crying over spilled Nerf milk won't put it back in the cup.' Her spectrum burning on the bridge of the Phantom, brilliant as a red giant star. The smell of frost and sweet spice.
Vector lowered his hands and midnight eyes opened, disrupting the strong connection. The Hive's voices hummed in the chamber of his skull, appreciating what he had shared.
'Bright,' the Hive Builder's shared voiced began, approving of the fierce, unyielding being Vector's memories showed, 'but no longer, why?'
'Even if we knew, that is not our answer to give,' Vector replied.
The Hive Builder stared down curiously, again not used to being denied information, before turning to Agent.
The old Killik raised her massive, tined forearm toward Cipher who returned the greeting without hesitation. Their arms gently rubbed. The Hive's singing rose to joyous new heights, song swelling before diminishing to a low, rumbling hum of anticipation.
Lowering her large head, the Hive Builder reached toward Agent. Immediately, Cipher took a step back, then another as two large claws came to hoover on either side of her face. Vector stepped forward. He placed a hand on Agent's shoulder, eyeing the dark yellow spike erupting in her sphere. Orange eyes glanced at him questioningly.
"She's asking to taste you," he explained, though the dark hue did not dissipate. "It's a common gesture."
Agent's brows furrowed. Confused white sparks danced through her field as yellow hues swirled darkly in the core of her aura. Vector did not understand her reaction, finding the explanation sufficient. Perhaps the request was too personal for her liking.
Glancing at him and then to the Hive Builder, Agent shrugged his hand off her shoulder. Yellow dampened as bright orange hues flared in her core. Without any more hesitation, she stepped toward the Hive Builder.
Taking the Killik's three-clawed hands in her own, Agent pressed them against beige cheeks. The Hive Builder's head bowed to her height, gripping soft flesh in sharp exoskeleton talons. Giant mandibles clicked with pleasure. Cipher swallowed hard, unable to look away from the delighted chittering.
Yellow sliced through Agent's field darkly, until the tip of a long green antenna brushed her forehead. White sparks burst through her field. Orange eyes looked up, watching feelers twitch as they skimmed over her face.
Suddenly, Nine laughed. She seemed surprised by the reaction, quickly bit her lips only to laugh again a beat later. Deep, sickly yellow hues faded and finally, like a hundred tiny glowbugs, bright yellow sparks ignited in her spectrum.
"This is tasting?" Cipher asked, giving a sideways look at him, a feeler running up her cheek.
Vector nodded once.
The Hive Builder strongly shared all she sensed through the bond. The most prominent traces on Agent's skin were that of salty sweat and the hot breath of the desert wind. The sulfuric residue of grenade smoke, the tang of blood, and the tingle of kolto resided as well, muddling Agent's natural taste, but sweet-spicy pheromones danced over his palate.
Unable to hear her thoughts, the only way the Hive could truly begin to understand Agent was through sampling her taste, scent, and by Vector sharing his memories of her.
Satisfied, the Hive Builder let go and pulled away. The old Killik's long, spiked legs walked back toward the singing Hive. The rows divided seamlessly to allow her passage. Every Killik and Joiner she passed turned in unison to face her, offering their attention.
The old Killik called, and both he and Daizanna followed, instantly instep with one another. Agent caught on and trailed a little ways behind. Once in the center of the Hive, the mass enclosed tightly, rows reforming. Their song echoed in joyous refrain around the glittering chamber.
On command, the Hive members all grasped the hands of those directly next to them. Soft flesh and exoskeleton claws joined. Daizanna immediately took his left hand. Vector turned to offer his right to Agent. Cipher accepted, gripping him tightly as a Joiner beside her took her free hand in their own.
The chorus of voices rose around them, song reverberating so loudly off the hard ceiling it surged through Vector's head like an endless, churning sea. As one, the Hive sang as they took their first simultaneous step to the right.
The stomp of thousands of feet landing at once sounded like thunder. They took another step, and then another, each rumbled through the sandy nest like a giant stampede of Nerf. Gradually, the mass of the Hive moved around the chamber in slow a circle.
The Killik emissaries, called from their wandering by the joyous noise, flew above them. Through their eyes, Vector saw the patterns that began to form on the floor below—his kin granting greater insight from above.
Sharing one mind, the nest moved in harmony. No one stepped out of time, no feet or claws trampled, they moved as seamlessly as a flock of thrantas during migration. Everyone that is except for Cipher. They held onto each other's hands tightly throughout the Song of Sharing. She was quick on her feet and able to keep time well enough.
Lines and loops of moving bodies were made as the Hive walked in time. Singing of travel and new beginnings, they wound around the chamber floor. Hands and claws let go only to latch onto new partners. The beat of the song increased. The nest members divided and rejoined only to divide again.
The meaning of the dance was surely lost on Agent. Although the glossy exoskeletons of Killiks and blue silk skirts of Joiners flashed around them mesmerizingly, she couldn't see the designs the clusters of dancers formed around them—formations mirroring the cosmos.
Like a living mobile, the nest intertwined. Small groups were encased by large, wandering lines. Their many steps and moving bodies formed a starmap. As the clusters of dancers circled their way among their kin, the living map they created retraced the steps their ancestors had taken centuries ago during the Great Migration.
The Hive danced, faster and faster. Lines broke, fragmenting into organized chaos. Feet kicked. Hands reached for the stars. The sand glittered, kicked and sprayed to flaring arches as the many bodies darted between one another in time.
The nest traded partners often as they were all one; hands and claws releasing only to join again. Although the nest divided, he never let go of Agent. Their gloved fingers had laced together as the song increased, lest they accidentally be spun apart—lost among the living map.
The Hive recognized they would not be parted. Daizanna left them, choosing to dance with the nest sisters and taste the wind. Blessed with many Joiners, the centuries of collected thought inspired joyous, new dances. The lesei started to explain their greater story.
Their insectoid brethren were not always so agile, but strong. Everyone had a place in the nest and in the dance. Taking the waiting, outstretched hands of sisters gently in sharp claws, Killiks spun around and threw their lighter kin upward.
The Joiners seemed to take flight. In midair, they arched, lithe as acrobats. Performing careful splits and turns, the sisters shared their joyous fleeting refrains before landing, blue silk dresses flaring around them as they fell like glossy petals to the floor. A few were caught by the sweeping arms of their kin, but most fell gracefully on pointed toes, before wilting to the ground.
The meaning of the display was complex but understandable: life in the desert was hard. Water was often difficult to find, fleeting after the spring rains.
He caught Agent watching them. Curious eyes traced the sisters' harmonious trajectories through the air as bright yellow sparks peppered her field. He wanted Nine's visit to be pleasant. The Iesei, inspired by their jubilation and his desire, assured that it would be.
They understood that he had gaps in understanding, and offered greater knowledge. The lesei and Oroboro were one, but much time had passed since their songs has last harmonized. They had more knowledge of soft ones than his native kin, blessed with more joined. He accepted.
Vector blinked hard once. Synapses sizzled.
Equipped with new information, he took Agent's other hand. White sparks flashed through her field as he spun her. Surprised eyes caught his when she twirled to a graceful stop. Still holding hands, he guided her back.
"Vector," Nine breathed, as he pulled her to a stop before him.
Aura a shade rosier now, Cipher smiled. He returned the expression. Fingers interlocked. She let him lead her through the dancing nest. Since she could not hear the call of the Hive, their inspired waltz was accepted, anticipated. All joyous song and dance was welcomed in the wake of the nest's revelry.
The movements of the Hive seemed frenzied around their slower duet. Through the eyes of the emissaries, he saw their distinct auras weave together among the dancing uniform fields of the other nest members. Agent's aura burned against the dark blue of his sphere as they spun slowly, like two binary stars amid a galaxy of light blue.
The Iesei continued their dance Their start on this world had not been an easy one, or so the sloping swaying posture the Hive adopted pronounced.
Thirst. Hunger.
The nest trembled.
Around them, the Iesei clutched their abdomens. They shook before raising hands and claws upward before bowing low. They rose and bowed in time. To survive the nest had to dig deep. Limbs raised, piling the sand high. Burrow into the ground. Find water. The nest bowed low once more, before raising hands hand claws high in praise. For once the Iesei had constructed their home, the nest had provided in unforeseen ways.
'May the beacons guide you.' The lesei sang as one, over and over.
Thousands of limbs rose around them, waving in time. Images of the gleaming towers filled Vector's mind in a swarm. The shining nest rose over the dunes through the blending viewpoints of a thousand different remembered perspectives. In awe of the beauty that flashed in the visions, Vector swayed on his feet.
They stopped dancing, Nine still clutching his hand.
The nest stilled. Suddenly he felt an overpowering drowsiness, but it faded quickly. Still, his chin dipped momentarily to his chest. Message received. The song urged them all downward. His knees buckled. The forest of limbs crashed down around them, hanging limply at the Hive members sides as they wavered on their feet.
Agent couldn't hear the command, so Vector let go of her hand. White sparks dusted her field as he suddenly clutched her waist tightly. Bringing Cipher flush securely against him, Vector closed midnight eyes and tipped backward. Startled muscles stiffened. He tucked Nine's head beneath his chin, one hand moving to brace the back of her neck. Their breath mingled.
As one, they fell.
His back hit the hard packed sand, Agent landing on top of him. Vector looked down to find narrowed orange eyes staring back. Dark red sparks ignited in Cipher's aura. Bracing gloved hands on his shoulders, she pushed herself off him. Rolling into her backside, Nine glared down, gaze starting to soften as it traveled over the mass of laying figures that spanned the entire chamber. She was the only one sitting up.
The entire Hive lay on their backs, wide black eyes facing the ceiling.
Red sparks dimmed, replaced by white again. Cipher gave him a curious look. He pointed up to provide understanding.
Orange eyes flicked upward, watching as fingerling began to take flight. In long, dark tendrils, they flew to circle the bioluminescent lights. Removing the orbs from their resting place, the lights began to dance as the tiny Killiks flew around the top of the chamber. The small green orbs scattered, resembling the stars that lit the night sky.
The lights grew, green glow becoming brilliant as more and more joined. Agent watched, anger and confusion seemingly gone and replaced by shimmering wonder in her sphere. She craned her neck back, taking in the ethereal glow.
Eventually, Nine lay down to fully enjoy the splendor. Warmth settled close to his side.
Shuffling closer, she whispered, "What am I missing?"
The fingerlings flew high, more gathering until they resembled the starmap the Hive had just danced to. The lights fluttered, shifting to resemble the night sky here on the Iesei's new homeworld. Softly, Vector whispered this explanation into the shell of her ear, watching as her sphere shimmered like the lights above.
The song crescendoed. The lights slowed and regrouped as the fingerlings reattached them. At once, every nest member sat up, as though waking from the same dream. Agent was the last to rise to her feet and looked at him.
Before she could ask, he answered, "A new chorus is starting."
"What does that entail?" Cipher pressed.
He didn't respond right away. The intoxicating aroma of gold membroisa was beginning to fill the chamber. Turning his head, Vector watched the membrosia carriers walking around the rim of the assembly, large bowls of golden liquid balanced on their heads. The givers followed behind them, carrying empty cups of membrane stacked high in their hands. Splitting into pairs, one carrier for one giver, they stopped at the edge of the assembly perfectly spaced apart.
The carriers knelt to the ground and shifted their load until each shouldered a membrosia bowl like an ancient deity holding the world aloft. One by one, the givers dipped their cups and began to pass them to their kin. Still in their many lines, each nest members took the cup given to them and passed it to the left.
"Like many species, the Killiks enjoy dance and drink," he replied as the Joiner beside him offered a cup, which he then gave to Agent. "Please pass to your left."
Like an assembly line, cups of membrosia were passed from hand to hand seamlessly until every nest member held one. Agent almost tried to give her's away, until she realized the Joiner beside her already had one.
Since Cipher couldn't hear the nest's directions, Vector brushed her elbow with his to get her attention. Orange eyes glanced up and he gestured to his cup.
"One, two, three," he mouthed and raised the rim to his lips.
The Hive drank in unison, even Agent. Vector's eyes rolled back in ecstasy as he swallowed, the sweet liquor magnified by the simultaneous action of the nest. A chalky, metallic aftertaste lingered. Through the bond they shared every trace of nectar—from the Pallie flowers they informed—every molecule of glucose, and every subtle variation in the fermented yeast. As one, they shivered. The sensation echoed through the many bodies of the nest.
When he came back to himself, Vector glanced at Agent and found her staring at her drink. Tilting the cup in different directions, she watched the syrupy liquor ooze from side to side before taking another small slip.
"Do you like it?" he asked.
She shrugged and confessed, "Never did have much of a sweet tooth. Enjoyable, though."
He smiled at her honesty and raised his cup toward hers.
"Cheers, Agent," Vector praised. "You're doing very well."
"Thank you, cheers," she returned with a small smile, soft pink fluttering briefly in her core.
Their membrane cups squished softly when they toasted. They drank together, and Daizanna came to stand before them. Two silk draped nest sisters flanked her.
"The nest rumbles, our voices will reach the stars and our feet will dance till dawn," Daizanna announced dreamily and reached toward Agent with an open hand, the Joiners beside her following. "Would you like to join the nest sisters in jubilation? We are excited to see what dances you bring."
Cipher clasped one of the nest sister's outstretched hands firmly. His smile grew at Agent's boldness, realizing she felt comfortable enough to venture around and socialize without direct guidance. A welcomed gesture.
It was good for them all that she have a pleasant stay among the Kind.
"I think I can do that, just don't laugh," she agreed and let herself be lead away. Through the bond, the Joiner's sang reassuringly that they would watch over Agent. The song was sweet, honeyed. The frequency attracted the attention of the emissaries. Gathered together, the tiny Killiks hovered over the crowd like a small, dark cloud. Through their eyes, Vector watched the women lead Agent to a circle of other nest sisters and welcome her.
Out of all the denominations of Joiners, nest sisters were the most common. In fact, most Joiners were female, just like the Killiks themselves. The thong of sisters began to gather in perfect rings around Agent, orbiting her.
Experimentally, Cipher raised her right arm, then her left a beat later. All of the nest sisters copied her motions exactly. Agent's eyes widened, mouth opening in wonder. Bright, yellow sparks burst through her aura. She waved gloved hands. The sisters waved back in perfect time. Pink flooding her core, Agent began to laugh, and the crowd of Joiners copied her, assuming it to be part of the dance, only to make Nine laugh harder. Vector smiled at the sight, pleased to see that his leader truly seemed to be enjoying her stay.
Letting the bond with the emissaries dim, Vector allowed Daizanna lead him through the thongs of the Hive and to a more private chamber. Although they were one, the cycles of separation has caused differences to grow between the two nests. He understood Daizanna and the other Iesei through the bond, but it admittedly took more concentration than with the Oroboro. It was akin to speaking the same language, but having different accents and colloquialisms.
They needed to deepen their understanding. His song thrummed with excitement as he followed Daizanna, ready to form a stronger bond for the sake of his kin and the Empire.
Notes:
1. I wanted the Iesei to be creepy but neat. They're just a hive-mind trying to live in the desert. Also wanted them to feel different but similar to the Oroboro. Wiki says all nests share the bond, but are unique and I wanted to try and expand on that. More differences will come up next chapter, heads up. Stuff is about to get even buggier, like a sci-fi entomology book on acid.
2. So apparently, it's been the Iesei nest, not the Lesei this whole time! Even the swtor voice actors muffed it up. PSA: This is why font choice matters.
3. In game conversations with NPCs tend to take place via holocom. I def remember the IA using an earbud type comlink in game tho...and an IA should be able to switch between the two, so ppl can't see the hologram of all your conversations. You know, spy stuff.
4. Tatooine looks really...tan. Remember this is what Vector sees. Everything is 100% more colorful. Dude's like..tripping all the time.
5. I haven't played this game in like...3ish years now and I have no idea about a lot of the new content available. I just really, really like the original IA storyline and companions. Rn I'm piecing this all together through wiki, game guides, youtube videos, and my old drabbles and screenshots. The going is slow and some things might be inaccurate or just, like, missing. Um, so this is more of an interpretation of what happens, I guess. Enjoy :)
6. Thanks to alwaysmyoriginalsin on for reminding me this story exists and is still read and enjoyed. Also, big thank you to reviewers. I know I suck at updating. Sorry sorry. Thank you for sticking around and leaving your thoughts.
7. I went through and edited the past chapters because I can't stop myself/had to remember what I wrote. I mostly just cleaned up grammar and made it more mobile-friendly, so paragraphs are smaller. Some sentences have been changed, word choose revised, but overall I really tried not to change much about the first part of the story, just tried to made it a smoother read. Let me know if something is wrong please. Will be updating them shortly.
8. This story is also on A03 and I suggest ya'll read it there. I forgot how jacked the story is formatted on , sorry. While I won't be breaking them apart, I will likely be updating the content like on A03. Idk, A03 is just a better website in general: /works/3982471.
9. Happy 2019, everyone.