Batches of mobilized Armored Species began to return one after another. Aside from the necessary skeleton crews at each garrison base, all the Gray-wings who had been deployed across the stars were recalled.
Kleiman was the first to return.
He had stayed on Kamlan for a bit longer than the others. Sakdi had granted him a few days of leave, allowing him the time to explore the human ruins.
The Kamlan authorities obviously couldn't allow a Direct Lineage bug to roam freely, so Arthur served as both companion and guide, taking the Armored leader on a tour of the surrounding planets.
Kleiman had initially refused.
However, he was soon captivated by scenery so vastly different from the insectoids' home territories, and he quickly switched into a mode of endless questioning.
When he finally returned to the collective, that curiosity was replaced by a heavy silence.
"I saw those prosperous lands turned to ruins," he said in a low voice as he walked alongside Sakdi. "They were massive architectural complexes, even more grand than the old Royal Nests. Those fragile, flightless, short-lived beings built such gargantuan hives, yet they were still destroyed."
"Nothing living remains. Only moss grows there."
When the Core Species looked up, he saw a hint of bewilderment on the other’s face.
"Will the swarm one day face the same fate?"
Kleiman gazed at the docking orbits and the distant mountains. "I have never seen the site of a nest left behind after a migration. We drift from one star system to another; no bug remembers where the very first nest was abandoned."
"I don't know," Sakdi replied.
Once, as a human, Sakdi and his "vile neighbors" had fought until they were inseparable in their mutual slaughter. For every human soldier the bugs tore apart, he had lopped off just as many insectoid heads. For every high-ranking general who fell, he had severed the head of a Queen.
The universe was too vast, and all civilizations eventually slept within it; yet the universe was also too small to accommodate two species that met on a narrow path.
"I want my people to settle down and stop drifting."
He now possessed an energy planet. The females and males living upon it no longer had to live in pain and terror; they were slowly accepting their roles and becoming members of his tribe.
"I want to secure a long-term, stable future, rather than waiting for one planet after another to turn to scorched earth before setting out for the next destination."
Following Kleiman’s arrival were the garrisons from the energy planets.
Unexpectedly, this group brought Selin and Xiao along with them.
The Short-winged species had always been socially reclusive. They preferred to find a safe place to multiply and care for their young.
Even after being forced into the "996" grind of overwork and having to take on customer service and management roles, most of them—aside from Xiao—still preferred to stay put on Ja’s territory.
In all the time they had known each other, this was the first time Sakdi had seen Selin out on "field duty."
The deep-brown female bug stepped onto the Gray-wings' core star system for the first time, looking somewhat nervous.
"I have handed over and arranged the temporary management duties," the other explained. "The Short-wings have lost their Sub-King; we are in a fractured state. Since you are convening a collective meeting of the Direct Lineages, Xiao and I can attend as survivors of the Short-wings—if you need us."
"I do."
Sakdi stated his stance succinctly to prevent his subordinate from falling further into unease. He nodded to Xiao and signaled for a guide bug to come over. "Gera is at the Great Information Nest. You can go straight there to find him."
"He will explain the relevant matters to you."
By the time the remaining Armored fleets returned from the Fourth Quadrant, Clark and Sakdi issued the notice for the collective meeting to all the Direct Lineages who were fuming with impatience.
Fifteen great cycles ago, the last King Bug had vanished from the universe. The once-unified swarm had splintered since then, marking the beginning of a long era of strife.
The original twenty core gene tribes had each gone their own way, slaughtering one another to seize the remains of the King and habitable star systems. The losers were crushed entirely, from adults to eggs; almost none survived.
After the passage of long ages, led by the Gray-wings, this species was once again gravitating toward a core.
They were attempting to return to the Great Swarm.
This was almost an instinct for the insectoids. In death, they sought a grave of collective consciousness; in life, they excelled at acting as a group.
The security level of the entire planet was constantly rising, and countless ships were docking at the orbital stations.
Even the male bugs, who usually didn't participate in major decision-making events, felt the unease.
Many bugs working in the Great Information Nest had accessed the relevant data early on, and the sensitive ones had already sensed what was about to happen. Others were infected by the turbulent, solemn atmosphere, anxiously asking where the future would lead.
Kara’s group, who had been delayed in the former Broad-wing territory for a long time due to construction and resettlement work, had returned to the Great Information Nest earlier with the Fourth Quadrant fleet.
The male bugs, who had been traveling for a long time, had grown much sturdier. Their lines were beautiful and fluid, no longer possessing the frail, stick-like limbs topped with a weakly wobbling head they’d had at the start.
Abundant food, a life free from beatings and coercion, and appropriate work that allowed them to realize their value had acted as a panacea for these Broad-wings.
After their long separation, Kara seemed a bit shy, but his former cowering timidity had completely vanished.
The Armored leader who bumped into them at the docking orbit was stunned for a moment.
"You look very healthy. You won't die easily anymore."
This statement was delivered with clanging conviction.
The Core Species couldn't bear to listen to this "steel-straight" bug's way of giving compliments. Sakdi waved his hand wordlessly. "My work here is done. Take them to Gera."
The white bug was responsible for settling all the returnees while also balancing his original work and preparing for the upcoming meeting. Every day, he was so busy his feet hardly touched the ground.
During this period, the Gray-wing habitat was undergoing constant reconstruction. Many buildings and fortifications had changed drastically, and things like public transportation and public aircraft had even begun to appear.
Thus, Kleiman took on the task of escorting the four males to the Great Information Nest.
"Life on the remote planets... was it hard?"
The dark-gray female bug, racking his brain to break the awkwardness, was truly not cut out for small talk. In the end, he only managed to squeeze out that one short sentence.
Kara smiled and wagged his tail, looking a bit embarrassed.
Having emerged from his initial state of muddled confusion, he actually didn't quite dare to look the other in the eye now. Toward this powerful and cold-faced female bug, the Broad-wing felt a strange sense of dependence. This bug had plucked him from the hatching nest and brought him to a safe place; he had also fed him honey-dew bit by bit when his mind was unclear.
But back then, the silly bug had done the bizarre act of grabbing the spoon, and had even caused a terrifying "mating incident" due to a misunderstanding. This caused his sense of dependence to be mixed with a strange urge to run away and hide.
"We are doing very well, thank you."
Speaking softly and slowly, the male bug's voice wasn't loud, matching his courage.
Long periods of work had made his once-broken ability to express himself clear and accurate.
"It was difficult at first, but it slowly got better. The Gray-wing Armored members protected us and helped us a lot."
"That's good."
Responding dryly, Kleiman delivered all the bugs to their destination and then hurried away, his tail scales beginning to slowly stand on end from the awkwardness.
The Broad-wings standing at the entrance didn't even have time to go inside before they were bumped into by Xiao, who was walking out.
"Your scales look so beautiful!"
The social dynamo was the first to exclaim in admiration, his tail thumping loudly.
Unlike human society, which needlessly refined adjectives with gendered connotations, the insectoid lingua franca was blunt. Beautiful scales, beautiful tail-whips, beautiful wings—everything was just "beautiful." Being bright and lustrous meant being strong; it meant not being easily eliminated in the process of survival and reproduction.
Grabbing the still-shy bugs, Xiao pulled them into the "huddle."
The males, squeezed into a circle, made buzzing sounds. Scaly tails pressed against scaly tails, winding around each other. When bugs greeted each other, they could touch tails, but they couldn't play with their hands.
"Are... are you okay, Roxanne?"
The Broad-wing, who could now use the lingua franca fluently, was so bashful his long tail was tied in knots. He summoned his courage to offer a soft greeting to the bug who had first helped him.
"I'm very well."
The white bug smiled. He really did still enjoy the intimate huddling between males.
His companions, who used to only reach his chin, had all grown quite large now. Squeezed together, they smelled sweet and felt warm.
"You also look strong and beautiful."
At this, Kara turned even redder. He curled into the other’s embrace as he had before, receiving many caresses and gentle nuzzles.
For more than half a great cycle, they had been scattered in different places, each bug rushing about. The days they had once spent gathered in the Great Information Nest had become a scene difficult to recreate.
"We... we found many male bugs."
Speaking softly of his experiences during this time, Kara’s body gradually relaxed under the gentle touch. He hadn't felt this kind of interaction between members of the same nest for a long time. Before he and his two brothers had been snatched into the hatching nest, they used to groom each other's scales and rub scents like this.
However, those memories had quickly been replaced by endless screams and grayish-white insect eggs.
Fortunately, he now had a new tribe.
This tribe was now holding the naturally clingy and easily shy Broad-wing in its arms.
"Temporary shelters have been established on many planets. We learned while teaching those bugs how to use the Information Nest and how to speak the lingua franca."
"You and your companions are very impressive," Gera responded with a smile, stroking the other’s back gently. He could imagine the immense effort the Broad-wings—who used to tremble at the sight of a stranger—had put in behind those brief words.
Therefore, he would not fear fate; he would not shrink back because of any storm. If he, who had dragged himself out of the mire to stand before all the male bugs, were to flee, then his friends, his companions, and the countless strangers on many planets would all fall back into the deep darkness because of it.
He had prepared a vast amount of data to deal with the upcoming meeting.
Among the Angon of the Pedipalp Species, fewer than two thousand of the dead males and larvae could be identified by name. More were nameless, leaving not even a trace of their existence. For example, Liber’s former caregiver, or the larvae who had lived with the silver-gray cub.
That information made the male bug feel suffocated. He began to learn anger and fierce demands beyond mere sadness; it was as if a fire that could never be extinguished was burning deep in his mind.
He had first perceived this world through pain, but he would never leave that pain to his companions or to any newborn larva.
The Direct Lineages, who divided the world into ranks, were landing here. Those who already stood at the apex still sought to grasp a broader picture.
Greed was the nature of every species; once they obtained one, they wanted two; once they had two, they wanted more.
Once the Sub-King of the Flash-pattern species realized Gera’s true status, he had dropped his contemptuous attitude and begun to curry favor as a member of his former kin. This was a treatment the male bug, who had once stumbled along beside his relatives, could never have obtained no matter how he tried to please them with a humble posture.
The taste of power was better than the freshest blood-meal; the white bug understood this fact clearly.
They were born of the swarm. Contention was an instinct carved into their genes; tearing away at fate was their nature.
Just as Sakdi had said, he was indeed ready.
***
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Sacre-D: Reborn as the Swarm's Apex | Chapter 159 | The Great Convergence | Novela.app | Novela.app
