Secret Little Wars

“Hey mommy, look at the ladybugs! They are so pretty and peaceful!” Betsy said, pointing at a ladybug on a marigold flower in her garden.

What the child did not know was that there was a war going on. In fact, there are secret little wars that are fought all over the Earth. Entire nations are born, rise, and fall without our ever knowing. The ladybugs Betsy saw were not peaceful; and to their prey, they were not pretty. Ladybugs are conquerors, and soon, a new kingdom would feel their wrath.

“One has broken the lines! Raise the alarm!” a guard aphid said.

The ladybug stomped into a group of fleeing aphids on the flower petal, its gargantuan body blocking their only retreat. “Die aphid scum!” It said.

Around the beast was heard a chorus of “run for your lives” and “every aphid to themselves!”

Several poor aphids were torn apart in the jaws of the ladybug before it was repelled back to its own lines, it having been badly bruised by the onrush of the aphid reserve troops. On the stem of the marigold, a fierce battle was being fought. The army of the Ladybug Empire had lain siege to the Marigold Kingdom. Several aphid nations in the garden had already fallen to the might of the Empire, and the Marigold Kingdom was one of the last bastions of aphid-kind left.

A messenger stormed onto the pistil, where the Aphid Queen was being safely hidden. This messenger, Rosa, was a soldier nymph, a loyal daughter of the Marigold Kingdom tasked with its defense. The Queen was the oldest aphid in the kingdom, nearly a month old. She was in the middle of giving birth to a new daughter, another soldier nymph.

“My apologies, Queen Sitobia.” Rosa said.

Queen Sitobia chortled reclining on a birthing gall, “Oh, you aren’t interrupting anything. Please continue.”

Rosa spoke, “The condition of the siege is deteriorating quickly. Ladybug goliaths are continuously breaking the line. We have beaten them back to the stem several times, but not without heavy casualties. What are your orders?”

Suddenly, the Queen gave birth. The young aphid fell onto the floor, landing directly onto its feet. Patriotically, it yelled, “For the Kingdom! Kill the Oppressors! Freedom or Death!” It ran across the pistil and up into the fray.

The proud Queen watched as her daughter immediately joined the defense of their beloved marigold, the flower upon which they lived, upon which they fed. The marigold was their lifeblood, it was everything. They would defend it to the last aphid. The Queen’s proud smile immediately turned to strict stolidness as she considered her options. Finally, she spoke, “Send out the Alate Squadron. We need reinforcements.”

Rosa nodded, “Yes, my Queen.”

Rosa gathered the squadron of alates, those winged females who colonize other flowers in the name of her Majesty. Now, their need was dire. Today, they would serve as messengers to the last remaining aphid nations to see if any would lend them aid. The soldier nymphs cleared a petal of the marigold and the twenty alate females Rosa gathered stood in a row. One by one, the alates unfurled their wings and took to the skies. Rosa saluted each one as they picked directions and flew. Rosa spied the ladybug encampment at the base of the flower. She saw one ladybug, probably the general, bark some orders to a group of ladybugs standing by. Each ladybug, almost twenty in number, opened their carapaces in a uniform motion and unfurled their massive, terrifying wings. The ladybugs took to the skies with a loud buzzing pervading the battlefield. They began their pursuit of the alates.

One proud aphid mother was cheering from the petal, “Go daughter #1546! I believe in you!”

That aphid was snatched from the sky by a ladybug. It returned to the ground with its prize.

The mother frowned for a second, then cheered again, “Go daughter #1547! I believe in you!”

That aphid, too, was snatched mid-air.

The mother frowned again, “I think I’m just going inside. Good luck!”

Rosa could only watch as the ladybugs began snatching more alates from the sky. One by one, their numbers dwindled. The soldier nymphs on the petal could only gaze in horror as their chance at reinforcement diminished. A swarm of ladybugs joined the fray as the last few alates were evading annihilation. Another was snatched from the air and the ladybug returned to the ground to devour its meal. After a minute of grim spectacle, three alates evaded the ladybug swarm. Rosa returned to her Queen to relay the news.

“There still is hope,” Sitobia said, “one of the other nations might still come. All we have to do is wait.”

Rosa did not want to sadden the Queen with how unlikely that was to happen. There were other dangers in the great wide garden besides ladybugs, and any one thing could waylay or even kill the surviving messengers. Rosa simply bowed respectfully and rejoined the front.

The ladybugs had renewed their assault on the stem. Some ladybugs even flew up onto the petals to create pressure behind the lines. Soon, the siege would break. Either the aphids would push the invaders out, or the ladybugs would devour them all. Such are the ways of the garden.

Suddenly, a ladybug landed behind Rosa. It taunted her, “You will be masticated. Resistance is futile!”

With reflexes as quick as lightning, Rosa spun around and grabbed the menacing legs of the ladybug. The beast was strong, and Rosa did not know how long she could hold away its pincers. She persisted and defended, even landing in a few good kicks on the ladybug. However, she only had so much strength. The ladybug’s pincers milimetered closer and closer until they were nearly brushing against Rosa’s antennae. Moments later, several other soldier nymphs joined her and pushed the insect from her. They kicked and pummeled the ladybug into submission. In a last-ditch effort, it opened its carapace and heaved itself into the air. It retreated to the encampment on the ground. One by one, the marauding ladybugs left the petal bruised and beaten while the fighting continued on the stem. The aphids might have won the day, but the siege persisted.

A day they waited. Dozens of soldier nymphs were born in that time and joined the ranks. When the night came, the ladybugs halted the assault for rest, though they maintained a vigil on the stem. Rosa drank her fill of marigold sap and reveled with the other soldier nymphs. She still kept a watchful eye on the encampment to ensure the ladybugs would not try a night attack. The night was not particularly restful for Rosa, but the Marigold Kingdom and her Queen must be protected at all costs.

The ladybugs renewed their assault in the morning. Legs and pincers clashed on the stem once more. Rosa stood on the petal looking out, hoping to see any hope of salvation on the horizon. Suddenly, she saw movement in the garden mulch: a sea of green.

Another nymph shouted, “It’s the warriors of the Tomato Republic! They’ve come to our aid!”

The soldier nymphs of the Tomato Republic walked in rank, approaching the ladybug encampment with lethal tenacity. There were hundreds of them. The ladybug general turned his attention away from the stem, giving his troops desperate orders. He weakened the assault on the stem, but still left enough ladybugs to defend the line. He then sent his troops to strategic locations in the mulch. Not long after, the army of the Tomato Republic clashed with the ladybug defensive line. The general kept ordering troops to move, keeping constant pressure on the aphids of the Marigold Kingdom and the Tomato Republic. If the line were weakening in an area, he spent troops there from where he could spare them. This was the first time during the siege that the ladybugs seemed scared.

Rosa rallied the troops on the flower, “Come on, ladies! Let’s push the menace out! For Queen and country!”

“For Queen and country!” the nymphs replied.

They helped the nymphs on the stem push the ladybugs further and further down. Rosa was pleased. When she looked up, however, a new terror struck her. While her troops were finally making headway, the army of the Tomato Republic was being decimated. The ladybugs were ferocious, but with that general, they were unstoppable.

A cry rung out from the line of the Tomato Republic, “Retreat!”

With the army of the Tomato Republic in retreat, the ladybug general put the full force of the attack on the army of the Marigold Kingdom. They were quickly being pushed back up the stem. Ladybugs flew up onto the petals. Rosa heard the terrified screams of the defenseless aphid adults. If they did not retreat now, the kingdom would surely be lost. They would lose most of the army along the way, but Rosa knew it was their only chance.

“Retreat!” she yelled.

The ladybugs pressed the assault, devouring many poor aphids as they turned tail and ran for their lives. Rosa was first onto the petals. The scene on the top of the flower was utter carnage. The ladybug army had scoured most of the kingdom already. It would only be a matter of time before they found the Queen.

Rosa led the surviving soldier nymphs as they fought their way onto the pistil. By the time they reached it, only she and a couple nymphs were left. Screams were heard in all directions. The siege was finally broken. They were out of time.

They found Queen Sitobia still sitting on the birthing gall. She looked curiously at Rosa and asked, “Are we winning?”

“The army of the Tomato Republic came, my Queen…” Rosa said.

“Ooh! How delightful!” The Queen said, clapping her legs.

“… and they were decimated by the ladybugs.” Rosa said.

“Oh… what a pity.” She said.

“We need to leave now, my Queen, the kingdom has been overrun!” Rosa said.

“Oh, but could we just stay here for just a moment, I am in the middle of my mid-morning marigold sap sucking. Very important queen business, you know.”

Suddenly, a few thuds landed just above the pistil on the petals. The ladybugs began taunting them, “You can’t hide, we know you’re in there! Come out come out come out! We’re hungry! Resistance is futile!”

“Oh, what dreadful business!” The Queen said.

Suddenly, the petals above the Queen parted. A set of legs reached down and snatched her. As she was taken, she let out an “Oh no.” A loud crunch was heard.

“You idiot,” one of the ladybugs said, “that is the Queen! General Carapacio wanted to eat her! Keep the body there and wait for the General. Oh, man, those aphids in the Tomato Republic will rue the day they crossed the might of the Empire!”

Rosa suppressed a sugary tear. The war was lost. The Marigold Kingdom was no more. She could stay here and fight for a fallen kingdom, or she could escape and warn the Tomato Republic. She snuck out a side passage through the marigold petals. She crawled to the edge, tucked in her legs, and rolled off the side. When she hit the mulch, she noticed that all the ladybugs were now upon the flower, laying waste to her once fair kingdom. She wept for the ancient home upon which she spent the entire long week of her life and whispered a solemn farewell. She slipped into the hostile wilds of the garden unseen. She had to warn the Republic, if only so that they would avoid the cruel fate of the Marigold Kingdom.

So be wary the next time you see a peaceful insect on a flower. Secret little wars are fought all over the Earth, and a new conflict is always brewing.

***

Rosa's story is far from over. Secret Little Wars Episode 2 is out now and can be found at this link. Did you enjoy the first part? Be sure to like, comment, subscribe, and share!