Chapter Two
From within the Hive came a coterie of sterile Chosen-Male priests singing the prayer of death. Its familiar and comforting cadence brought a soothing note to the chaotic scene, calming those present.
“… From Life to Death,
Death to Life,
As ever, the cycle repeats …”
“Now.” Lok-Nih’s voice rang out. “I must ripen more males. It is time for more offspring.” She touched eight May-be-Chosen who abased themselves before her.
“Blessed Hive-Mother, may I speak?” Suh-Joh asked.
“Yes?” Lok-Nih emitted an odor of irritation.
“I cleaned the spines of the dead intruders. They had the markings of the Af-Gih and the Jan-Dil Hives.” Suh-Joh flexed low in abasement.
“So, my precious offspring, Af-Gih, grows bold.” Lok-Nih erected her breathing flaps in annoyance. “Prisoners?”
“There are thirty-two uninjured captives. As I speak, the dead and maimed are being fed to the food-insects.”
“Condition of the prisoners?”
“Emaciated, smaller than our warriors. Many show signs of malnutrition,” Suh-Joh said. “It looks like their attack was an act of desperation.”
“Hmm, unfit for breeding. Pluck their spines and neuter them. Send them to the surface to replace the weak and worn-out crop workers. Feed the discards to the insects.”
“Yes, blessed Hive-Mother.”
“Those two Hives produced many of the Disobedient.” Lok-Nih paused. “They’ve lost so many of their young they must be weak. Raiding them would garner little, if anything.” Her voice was soft, barely audible. “They do have a strong gene pool, perhaps a female—”
“Blessed Hive-Mother. You can’t leave us.” Suh-Joh crouched low, touching her head to the ground. “Please.”
“No. I’m just thinking out loud. Don’t repeat that.” Lok-Nih released an odor that showed her frustration “So, my offspring Af-Gih seeks to steal from me? Send her the spines from her dead warriors with this message: She must ripen a daughter and send her, with a levy of Chosen-Males, to the planet Kamah as colonists.”
Lok-Nih rippled her spines. “This will ensure the survival of my bloodline even if Hool continues its decline. If she chooses not, tell her to expect a visit from my Chosen-Male warriors. As for Jan-Dil, she deserves something special.”
Lok-Nih scratched her plate-like skin and raised the fringe of spines along the edge of her klut-shi. The paat-kli cautiously extended its head out from its shell. Lok-Nih tickled the paat-kli gently and it chirped. It resumed grazing on her skin, feeding on the dead flakes between the plates on Lok-Nih’s hide. She stroked the paat-kli, encouraging it to rasp its tiny tongue on her skin.
Our richness in food makes us the target of every starving Hive, Lok-Nih thought. I’ve balanced my Hive’s population with the supply of food-insects and crops from the surface. My populace is healthier and more energetic than most. Still, we could use more food. She knew she could only mate when the Hive needed replacements or conquest expanded its resource base.
“Follow me.” Lok-Nih gestured to the eight unripened ones she’d raised to Now-Chosen status. Her arousal grew as she went through the tunnel leading to her quarters. She always enjoyed ripening males.
Suh-Joh could hear the Now-Chosen twittering and smell their arousal. Yes, she thought. They are ready to breed with Lok-Nih. The emotional state of the Hive-Mother controlled the toxins or hormones produced by her klut-shi. She had to be aroused to produce the hormones that turned unripened males into warriors. If not, the klut-shi produced poison. If I were a Hive-Mother, Suh-Joh thought. I too, could enjoy … No. I’ll never be a Hive-Mother.
“Hoo-Lii, you,” Lok-Nih uttered the blessing and pointed to the first Now-Chosen, gesturing he should come forward.
“Hoo-Lii. Immediately, gracious Hive-Mother,” the young male twittered in a voice pitched high with excitement.
“Take the position,” Lok-Nih said.
Suh-Joh found the mating aroused feelings of envy within her. She could not draw herself away. Fascinated, she continued to watch.
The young male moved in front of Lok-Nih and flexed into a position of abasement as demanded by his status. He exposed the tender connective skin between the armored plate-skin, thus presenting her with many vulnerable locations.
Lok-Nih moved behind him and draped herself over him, enfolding him with her mating-skin flap. She flexed the edge of the mating-skin flap inwards, hooking the klut-shi into the delicate membranes connecting the plate-like sections of his hide. She held him in a grip from which there was no retreat.
“Closer, still closer. Here, let me feel you,” Lok-Nih said to the hesitant male who assumed a raised position. “You know what is next?”
“Yes, gracious one.”
“Are you ready? When you are, call my name.”
“Lok-Nih—”
As he spoke, Lok-Nih slid the spines of the klut-shi between the plates of his hide. They bit into his flesh and flooded his system with hormones that catalyzed his transformation from a juvenile to a mature state.
Lok-Nih pushed against him.
The male shuddered as hormones sped throughout his system, triggering his instantaneous arousal. He shuddered and sagged.
Lok-Nih relaxed her grip. “Ah, good.” It was over. “Males,” she said. “They have so little capacity for this. Mate once and they are done.”
The male collapsed to the floor, exhausted.
Lok-Nih made a gesture. Attendants carried the newly ripened Chosen-Male away, who was limp from exhaustion.
Suh-Joh remained to watch. She knew that seven more would be ripened.
Lok-Nih gestured for the next Chosen-Male to approach.
Each time Lok-Nih ripened a young male, she received a fresh charge of juvenile hormones from the Chosen-Male. The Hive-Mothers’ longevity came from ripening young males.