The Guardian Hives

The Guardian Hives began to stir. They were situated at the edges of the thick, humid forest. The Hives protected the inhabitants of the Planet of Flowers from any intruders, as well as supplying them with food. The wasps pollinated the trees that brought them fruit and nuts. The honey was used for food, as well as soothing wounds. The Hives were attached to the oldest trees on the planet. The Hives had grown along with the trees, so the stories told.

A scent that was unnatural to this world began to make its way deep into the jungle. The members of the Hive flew past Eq’ix, not even noticing her. They had suddenly turned as one away from gathering pollen. One of the creatures landed on her bright yellow gown, needing a place to rest. Eq’ix obliged it; perhaps the creature was frightened as well by the sound of the machine coming from the sky. Eq’ix’s hand moved to the knife in her belt. She’d sharpened it as soon as she’d heard from Eci what was happening.

Eq’ix’s neck feelers reached up and slid into her ears. Even that gesture could not block the rushing noise. The ship’s arrival was more noise than anyone could possibly bear. Eq’ix wiped tears from her six eyes. Surely these invaders meant to bring about her people’s deaths. Why else would they not use the docks, where ships were meant to land?

She leaned in to take in the scent of the velvet orchids. The scent always steadied her. It reminded her of warm summer days, of mathematics lessons with her adoptive father. The creature on her shoulder briefly landed on the orchid, before taking flight again. Eq’ix continued down the path.

The slow hum of the machine was fading now, but the Hive was still alert. The light from the twin suns filtered through the canopy of trees. Birds swooped from tree to tree, calling to each other.

The silver machine must have finally become silent. Eq’ix’s feelers slid back to their resting position on her neck. But still, her ears were ringing. Such a thing was not natural among her people. The jungle greeted her Eq’ix as she walked, the plants making way as she moved forward.

Eq’ix could see that the Hives were dripping with honey; the Swarm had been plentiful that day. As the first of the suns slid beneath the horizon, Eq’ix approached her cousin. Eci’s hands moved in the words that said that he had not been seen. Eci had been the first of them to spot the strange movement in the sky. When something so unusual was seen from the temple, everyone agreed that it was best to investigate.

Just yards away, the door to the ship opened. The invader that stumbled out wore only thin cloth covering his limbs. The cloth was a pale tan color, the color of dough before fruit was added. Eq’ix’s stone knife could render the cloth to shreds in seconds.

Instead of lunging towards the invader with her knife, she waited. If the Hive had mercy, these strangers were here for a reason. Perhaps they could trade, like they did with those from planets rich in metals. His mouth moved, and he slapped a hat on his leg. The sounds that came from his throat caused the Hive to notice him.

They swarmed. Before the stranger could even scream, his soul was gone. The body of the intruder now lay crumpled in the dirt. Nearby, the river flowed as peacefully as it could in flooding season. Members of the Hive began to return to the flowers.

The gleaming metal door opened again. More intruders came out, these wearing all white suits which covered their entire bodies. There was a dome that must allow them to see their surroundings. Eq’ix noted that they only had two eyes. She wondered how dark the world must be for them.

Eq’ix settled in for the watch. She sat on a log, the seat she chose was bare of moss. She used the foliage to shield herself. One of the other intruders bent over the body. The being picked it up and carried it away. Eq’ix wondered if the body would be disposed of properly for one felled by the Swarm.

Eq’ix watched from her post in the shadows. Other intruders ran up to the one carrying the body. There was another one who was not wearing the suit, his pale skin already burning in the sun. Some were making a strange wailing sound; others were standing still. Others stared out into the darkness, their hands on the weapons strapped to their belts.

The Guardian Swarm began to buzz again. The bees swirled high in a spiral and flew towards the one without a suit who was wailing. Eq’ix turned away at the choking sounds. The unsuited intruder would likely be writhing on the ground. Such a fate was better not being witnessed.

When silence fell again, Eq’ix turned back.

One of the invaders turned to another. The one who held the now soulless body paused and put it down. She used her hands to convey language. The other scowled, took off his helmet, and used his mouth. As he spoke, yet more of the wasps began to buzz. The one who’d used her hands in the same way of Eq’ix’s people to speak seized the other one by the arm. She pulled him into the cold gray ship these intruders had arrived in.

How curious, Eq’ix thought, that one of the invaders speaks the same way we do. This was not what I expected when given the evening watch.

###

As the stars appeared in the sky, the strangers were arguing over building a fire. While Eq’ix could not understand every word that was signed between them, there were enough context clues to figure it out. There were some signs that were even close to her language. Her birth father would be fascinated. When traders arrived, he’d always sit with the other scholars, discussing language roots and cultural poetry long into the night. What would he make of these strangers? What kind of poetry would they write about the eternal night they must live in?

One of them pointed out to the forest and gestured with a knife. Eq’ix did not see any meat for him to cut it with. The one who’d first used sign seized the blade and slammed it into the log they’d used as firewood. This one shook their head and took the knife away. They strapped the metal blade back into their belt, signing about…danger?

That one wants to hunt us, Eq’ix realized. She slipped further back into the trees. These strangers could not hear the rustle of her movements as the vines brushed against her. There was a sudden weight on her shoulder. Eq’ix reached over and undid the scroll that was wrapped around the parrot’s leg. She slowly unrolled the parchment.

She read the message by starlight. There was a new batch of honey from the Hive. Eci had stored a jar of it for her, for when she came back in the morning. The honey was eaten quickly, especially by the children. Eq’ix’s mouth watered at the thought of bread stuffed with fruit and smeared with the purple honey. Her father’s father would be signing traditional songs by the fire at this time of night. The younger children would be reading the strange books they’d traded for with their jewelry. The stories from other planets was fascinating, Eq’ix thought. So many different worlds, yet so many similarities.

A light flashed. Eq’ix turned one eye to follow it. The intruders had set up a building made of cloth while the suns had still been out. They had set it right by the river and had lugged boxes inside. Eq’ix frowned; such a thing should not be near a river in flood season. Didn’t they know about where they had landed?

She remembered the screams. Of course, they did not. Had they known, they would have been quiet, respecting the Guardian Hives. The Hives reacted to any unnatural sound.

The invaders had left the window of the cloth building open. It was simple enough to move closer. The plants concealed Eq’ix, her gown blending with the vines that were not ripe yet. There were boxes piled high. One of the strangers went inside. They lifted a small item and began to pour water on to it.

What a waste of water, Eq’ix thought with disgust. Even so, her eyes widened at the item transforming. The item grew in the stranger’s hand, until it became a loaf of bread. The stranger cut off a piece, placed the rest of the loaf down, and began to spread a jelly of some kind on it. Eq’ix did not see any fruit or nuts, but perhaps the window made it hard to see details like that.

Eq’ix felt tension ease from her shoulders. Perhaps they were here for trade after all. Perhaps the ones who had become the Hive’s victims had been particularly stupid.

Eq’ix slowly stepped out of the vines. The plants slide away from her shoulders. They caught on her feelers for a moment, sticky with the night’s gathering dew.

There was a faint sound, and pain burst up Eq’ix’s arm. She looked down, to see the shaft of an arrow sticking out. It was not one of her people’s arrows. Those were delicately, elaborately carved. A set of arrows took nearly a year to finish. The right wood must be gifted from the trees, the right gems found for the tips. Such a work of art would never be wasted on violence.

The ground felt like it was shifting. It slid out from under her, and now she was seeing the very roots of the vines. As the world began to fade away, she was aware of footsteps coming closer. Two white shoes stopped at her face, and she was lifted up into uncaring arms.

###

Eq’ix could not move her arms. She tried again, and felt leather binding them. With binding her hands, they had taken away her language.

Fingers ran over the six eyelids, and Eq’ix’s eyes snapped open at the touch. The invader lunged back. His own eyes were a dull green color, his skin and hair far too pale to be healthy. He’d removed his helmet and suit, and now wore only the flimsy cloth garments.

The light above her made her eyes sting. It was bright, far too bright. It was like all the stars in the sky had blended into one. But Eq’ix dared not close even one set of eyes.

The stranger was running his fingers along the feelers on her neck. The sensation bordered on pain. This was not one of her people who knew to not touch them. The pressure overwhelmed her nervous system, and Eq’ix sensed her heart and lungs beginning to shut down. Her pulse became weak, her breathing shallow.

There was a sudden crash. The door of the room slammed open. Eq’ix heard glass shatter, and something heavy hitting the floor. The Hive swarmed through the room, the wasps settling on Eq’ix. The creatures did not sting her. Rather, they settled on to her, providing coverage.

Eq’ix heard footsteps. She tensed, and each member of the Hive flashed their wings in a protective stance. Their legs would normally tickle. But this time, the prickly feeling was a comfort. A blessing.

Eq’ix turned her head at the gasp. The invader’s eyes widened, and she slowly approached. Her hands moved, and Eq’ix made out the sign for “free.” It was close enough to her people’s. She hoped that was what it meant.

The stranger’s hands gently undid the leather straps holding one of Eq’ix’s arms down. Eq’ix covered her eyes with one arm, and the stranger moved the searing lamp away. The stranger moved around her, and slowly undid the other strap.

The stranger removed her helmet. Her skin was a healthy dark color, her dark hair in beautiful braids. Her eyes were a deep, rich brown. She slowly signed what must be her name, and then pointed at herself.

Eq’ix hesitated, then signed her name back, also pointing at herself. Whatever the woman signed next was lost on her, and Eq’ix shook her head, gesturing that she did not understand.

The woman nodded, and then she held out a hand.

Eq’ix slowly reached out and took the offered hand. It was calloused, yet the touch was gentle. The woman placed a hand on her shoulder, helping her sit up.

The Hive did not sting the woman. Some members flew around her, but they did not land. They stayed around Eq’ix, hovering. Eq’ix slid off the metal table. As she did so, the scent of rot reached her nose.

She frowned and turned to the other metal table.

The body on the table was draped in white cloth. But that still did not prevent the tiny stains of blood from where the Hive had sent this stranger to his death.

The woman gestured for Eq’ix to follow her. Together they stepped over the body on the floor, and they slid out of the room.

Beyond them, violence unheard of to Eq’ix waited.

###

The first corpse they found was stinking of honey. The woman reached for the body. Eq’ix saw the purple stain on the corpse’s mouth, and she seized the woman’s hands. The woman looked back, her two eyes narrowed, and her lips turned down in a frown.

Poison, Eq’ix slowly signed. She did not have the proper words in the stranger’s language to explain how the Hive’s honey killed all who were not native to this planet. It was possible for a stranger to eat the honey and live—her great-aunt was from The Red Planet—but the honey had to be eaten slowly. The dosage had to be measured out over time.

The woman nodded. She held Eq’ix’s hand as she made her way through the darkened corridor. When they came to a panel in the wall, the woman touched it. She tapped it harder, waiting. She grimaced, her lips for a moment were pressed tightly together. She shook her head, and then she picked up a hammer that was hung on the wall. She turned to the smooth metal doors in front of them.

The single hit made both doors fall to the floor with a crash. The woman looked down at the hammer in her hands, her eyebrows raising. She tucked the hammer into the belt of her spacesuit, and the two of them continued on. The woman took Eq’ix’s arm. Eq’ix let her, needing touch in such a frightening situation.

The next room smelled of honey and blood.

Eq’ix felt the feelers on her neck rise in protest. Another part of the Hive swarmed about the room. Those who landed on the slab of honeycomb on the table were in a defensive position. Of course, they would be, Eq’ix thought, a piece of their home was stolen. The Guardian Hive’s honey was its source of food. Any time honey that was taken from the Hive for food or medicine, it was the excess. More flowers were planted as the Hive expanded. More was given back than was taken away. That was the way life worked.

The woman stayed away from the table. As she walked around it, leading Eq’ix, they both could see that there was more than one corpse. Three others sat at the table. Eq’ix could feel that their souls were gone. There was an emptiness to them that a living soul did not have.

Three pieces of bread sat on the table, one before each body. There was an uncut loaf as well. Eq’ix took a step forward and picked up the uncut bread. It was plain. The color was a simple brown, uniform throughout. it was nearly the same color of the uniform the dead man had worn.

They must fleeing a war, she thought, if all they have on such a long journey is bread made only of grain. There were no nuts or fruits in the bread to stabilize it. The honey would have soaked through in seconds. It would have made their fingers numb well before they’d even taking their first bite. And yet, they’d eaten it.

Were these invaders really so stupid?

Eq’ix felt a gentle squeeze on her shoulder. She put the bread down, leaving it to rot with the corpses. She turned to the stranger, who was holding a door open. The sun beyond the door was bright. Even with Eq’ix’s six eyes, the light was blinding.

Eq’ix stepped outside. The stranger softly closed the door behind her, remaining inside. Eq’ix felt the spaceship begin to rumble behind her.

She jogged a few more steps. She could see her parents, the four of them waiting. Thirty-six eyes were filled with tears. Eq’ix began to run forward, then stumbled to a halt.

The Guardian Hives were full of smoke.

There were piles of ashes where the invaders had built fires to kill the Swarm. But how had the Hive still defended her?

Our arrows were turned to violence. Her birth mother signed this. The feelers on her neck were flying every which way, showing her agitation. Her anger and sorrow. They have been cast into the temple fire, as have the corpses.

Eq’ix sank to the ground. The Hives landed in the trees. Some landed on her. Others landed on her parents. She could sense the Hive swarming, searching for their Queen. Where the Queen was, the rest of the Hive followed.

Eq’ix looked up at the sky.

The ship was now a dot of fire. If the ship had taken the Queen…

Eq’ix felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up. Through her tears, she saw her adopted father kneeling before her. In his hands he gently cupped a hat the same texture and color of the Hives. Eq’ix peered inside. In the center of the cloth rested the Queen of the Hives.

She hid with me, he signed. A smile crossed his face. And your mother says my hat that looks like the Hives is silly. It saved the Swarm today.

The Queen flew out of Eq’ix’s father’s hands. She landed on a nearby tree, and the rest of the Swarm joined her.

THE END