Metphies' Journal, transcribed
Doctor Jaeger and I had a pleasant conversation today. Lagatha and Alcina joined us as well, which I found pleasant.
While our Mothers gave our human allies some idea of what our Colony will become, I think they were still expecting the single-minded Swarmer colonies of yore. For the human race, LV-426 strongly shaped their perceptions of how our species forms societies, but it was very limited information. That Queen was very young and inexperienced, the majority of her children still more so. She employed rudimentary tactics against her human prey. Those tactics were effective, but our species has many surprises humans are not expecting, and today we discussed one of them.
Humans know the word caste, but their understanding of a caste is a bit more rigid than in our society. Those encountered on LV-426 were a Queen and the lowliest of our castes- Eggs that uniformly grew into Swarmers. The Swarm is a powerful force, beholden to colony leadership with little thought and minimal self-preservation. They are shock troops and a terror force, but really not so effective in the grand scheme of history.
Adults who are denied independent thought are our disposable forces who can be sacrificed without losing friends or key colony assets- without even risking them, usually. But a colony of Swarmers is a dull thing, and normally there will be some, such as I and Lagatha, to whom greater presence of mind is granted. In my case, it is probable that my host father's species cannot create Swarmers. Their minds are keen, and I observe that I exhibit traits even my Mothers do not, such as my ease with pronouncing human names in their own mental accent. In any event, it is usual that colonies will have a Swarm of some size for defense and frontline infantry, sentient adults for increasing the colony's Gestalt intelligence, and specialized castes in a variety of shapes to suit the colony's needs. Through molting, many unusual or even unique forms can be created. Lagatha being the quadruped daughter of a bipedal host mother is one such example, though she wasn't made to fill a need in the traditional sense. Above the sentient adults is the leadership- Princesses, Queens, Titans, Commanders, and the Queen Mother who unites all colonies in her Song. They have their own hierarchy, but it's no real concern to those below them.
A Swarm adult can be gifted her own mind and personality, but it cannot be fully undone. If a sentient adult really wished to, she could disobey her leaders, though the happening is almost unheard of in the memories of our species I inherited.
I understand that our Colony is not prioritizing a Swarm, since we wish to seem very harmless to the wider world full of humans. Our Mothers are planning to create, to use a human concept, "cool" adults in configurations that humans will be fascinated by. Eventually, it's hoped that we'll get the broader public to come see us in our Nest, or maybe even venture out of home to see how they live.
Sometimes I like to think of the humans I will meet. The staff here that rotates shows many characteristics, but the humans within the Colony show similar characteristics- chiefly, they are extremely affectionate of us with no reservations. I realize they banded together out of common interests, allying with Dracul and then with us, so they may not be a realistic sample. Even so, I hope that if humans get a chance to see us as we really are, they would choose to live in friendship too. If we didn't have cause to fear attack, it would be viable to use volunteers for our hosts. Certainly, when I compare my father with how others in colonies past recalled their parents, I can see the impact that civilized behavior has had on our relationships with viable host species. It's the difference between letting your parents rot in the Nest's webbing and not caring about the horrendous stench and honoring your own parent by devouring everything you can and cleaning up the rest.