3rd January 2029
Lambda was irritated. Now that the danger seemed to be over, Beta had started making noise about kicking out Alpha from her Hive. Which was bound to happen sooner or later, but the ungrateful bitch wanted Alpha's old territory back as 'payment' for her stay.
"Probably worried that it contains the Vault" she muttered to herself.
"What's that, your Majesty?" her serving drone asked.
"Nothing. Talking to myself. Be quiet" she cut back.
"Yes, your Majesty."
Not that the territorial concerns of two squabbling southern hives overly concerned her, but Alpha had threatened to reveal Lambda's role in the old Beta's coup. Not that she had a role, which pretty much everyone knew, but the details. Communications channels and methods. Negotiation strategies. If it got out it the other hives would significantly sharpen up their counterintelligence security and that would impact Lambda's own information gathering.
Tsk. And now IM insisted on meeting her in person on some 'emergency'. Like she did not have enough problems of her own to worry about.
"Your Majesty, the Governer of Wrixom has arrived. She is ready to be shown in" a drone reported.
Lambda merely gestured to let her in and the drone scurried off to bring in IM-39.
"Yes, IM? What can I help you with?" she asked as IM stood in front of her. Lambda couldn't help but notice that IM seemed exceptionally nervous.
"Mother. I'm in trouble. And I need your help."
Lambda was taken aback. 'Mother'. It was a very rarely used word in the Wrix language. It was very similar to 'My Queen' but the connotations were of groveling and loyalty. Usually it was only used by Fertiles that had been caught plotting against their Queen, trying to escape their execution.
Her eyes narrowed. "What did you do?" she asked quietly.
IM took a deep breath. "I'm the one who released the Spiders. By accident."
"Go on..." Lambda said softly.
"There are ancient ruins on Wrixom. A vast complex. It absolutely dwarfs the ruins on First Stop. And my agents found it."
Lambda's head was spinning. She had always considered herself to be one of the most well informed individuals on the planet, but here were no less than 3 earthshattering revelations in a single paragraph.
Wrixom had a vast complex of ruins.
IM had her own loyal agents.
And Lambda herself didn't know either of the above!
"How...?" was all she asked.
"Listen to me, Mother, you cannot have the ruins. Nobody can. If knowledge of them got out, we would have armaggeddon. Forget the cooling sun, the Hives would tear each other apart in an attempt to get at the technology there. And it won't save them."
Lambda shook her head, trying to focus. One thing at a time. Ruins first. "You've analyzed the ruins? What did you find? Where are they?" she demanded.
"What we've found there, it changes everything. But not in a military way. Whatever hive took the ruins would paint a target on their own back. All the others would stop at nothing to destroy you. The entire area would get nuked to slag within a week. You KNOW how Queens think. 'If they cannot have it, nobody can.'"
"Where is it!?" Lambda demanded again, shouting this time.
"Are you listening to me, Mother? If you take that technology YOU WILL DIE! AND WE CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE IT!"
Silence. Then a low growl starts from the drones around Lambda. Sensing their mother's mood. IM stared up at her, knowing that a single word would have them tear her to pieces.
Then Lambda took a deep breath and gestured at the drones to back off. "So you would withhold it from even your own mother to save the race. How noble of you. You make some valid points, but I will decide how this hive proceeds. Now what was it you needed from me?"
"I'm going to give you the location of the Ruins..." IM began.
"You just said you cannot allow me to have them!" Lambda shouted in exasperation.
"... and then, once you find them, you are going to give them to Swarm Command to exploit for the good of the entire Swarm."
Lambda paused. She tapped her claw against the counter next to her, thinking. Her initial instinct was to have IM torn limb from limb for her impudence.
"Why?"
"Because its the only compromise that will not lead to war" IM replied.
"Why not find it with your own assets? Claim it for Swarm Command?" Lambda asked. "Why not simply skip the middle man?"
"Swarm Command does not have assets. What it has is a ton of dronepower on loan. And I can guarantee that whatever hive's drones first step foot in that ruin will have orders to claim it for their hive at all costs."
"And those 'agents' of yours? Did PC-49-LQN or US-93-OSS manage to start their own little nest in your basement without me noticing?"
IM shook her head. "I can't tell you."
Lambda was silent for a moment, then sat back and smiled. "Taking a page out of US-93's book, I see. Yes, this is how she got the additional research facility accepted by the Swarm. How she broke Kappa's monopoly on research. And in hindsight, a positive move. None of us had the slightest inkling of what it takes to evacuate our homeworld back then. Now even the smaller hives are constructing their own science facilities with the help of Swarm Command, and all hives benefit from the technological gains achieved."
A pause. It stretched on and IM just began to think that Lambda was going to reject her offer after all when she spoke.
"Alright. But I have a few conditions. First, I want a full inventory of everything that you found in the ruins. I want to know what I am giving up."
"Done" IM replied immediately. That one was pretty much a given.
"I want first look at anything new you find. And the opportunity to then revise or cancel this agreement as I see fit, with the ruins turned over to me immediately should I desire it."
"Lambda, that's exactly the kind of thing..." IM began, but Lambda continued without listening to her.
"Thirdly, I want at least half of all drones deployed to investigate and man the ruins to be mine, in order to enforce the previous point."
"One third. Best I can do without the other Queens outright invading" IM replied. Dammit, Lambda drove a hard bargain.
"Very well. Lastly, I want the identities of your agents. I need to know who I am working with" Lambda said.
"I can't do that" IM stated firmly. "I would be betraying their trust and I need them still."
"Then there is no deal" Lambda said gently. "And I would have to kill you to make sure you don't give any of the other Queens the same offer."
"How about if I offer you a secret instead?" IM suggested.
Lambda sighed and got up. She walked over to a counter and poured herself a cup of water. "I know a lot of secrets already. Odds are I already know what you plan on telling me."
"How about if I guarantee you that you do not?" IM said with a smile.
"Really? Alright, you have my curiosity. Not in the secret, mind you, but in how you think you can guarantee that I do not know it. It feels rather like a challenge!" Lambda grinned and swirled the water in her cup as she sat back down on her sofa.
IM took a deep breath...
As the engines of her small shuttle craft spun up, IM-39 considered her options. With Lambda on board she could finally openly investigate the ruins. And perhaps reestablish contact with everyone that had been inside when the Spiders erupted.
"Or whatever is left alive of them..." she mused.
Three weeks. Three weeks since the last contact with the Drone Collective operatives stationed in the ruins. Three weeks cut off from the outside, with no food coming in or any information what was going on, surrounded by deadly mechanical Spiders.
Even if they were all dead, at least she could still recover the Jump Engines.
Lambda sat in her chamber, the cup of water still held forgotten in one trembling claw. Her eyes were still transfixed on the door where IM had left, wide with shock.
IM's last words to her kept running through her head.
The Drones. We think they are stupid, mindless and of unwavering loyalty. They are none of those things anymore. They are starting to think. They starting to choose. And they are starting to wonder why they keep choosing to obey us.