With the fallen re-emerging, some had come back... Changed. Physically at least, and in the most unfortunate of ways. Siren's alteration had been the most noticable, and the collective displeasure had been echoing within his own mind for days. Its form, designed by Mother's own theoritical hand, had been tarnished. by an invasive growth. Worse still, it was asymetrical. Juggernaut's own self esteem had taken a blow with the severing of a tentacle, but watching a sibling suffer through the same was out of the question - not when he could help.

"Sister - approach. I can assist." It called through the network, along with a gentle plea to those the broadcast reached. "If you too can help, please come." He did not doubt his own abilities, but if a removal was attempted... It doubted it would be pretty.

@Siren , any other Hive members are welcome to join, regardless of how capable they are to actually help ;)

Ever since hatching from their chrysalis, Siren has been shouting nothing but distaste for themselves through the Hive's link. Their side of the thing usually quiet, soft, sometimes menacing - but always careful to tell their siblings they are okay - has become a source of dismay through the link. She doesn't do it on purpose, but Siren can't hide anything from her very large family.

It was that, which brings her pulled to one of their sides. Siren heard the call - all of them would - and she would not let the words go unlistened to. After all, Siren does not want to hurt her siblings, it is not their fault she has become mangled in such a disgusting way. It has become... Afraid, of returning home if it is being honest. The drones in the Hive's home would try to remove the stone, and Siren is almost afraid to see what will happen if she tries.

Eventually Siren spots Juggernaut, clearly displaced by her sadness. She sends an apologetic emotion through the family-wide link, but cannot help but also feel deeply upset for hurting them all this way. They will have to try removing it. Siren cannot go on like this forever. It is upsetting to both it and its siblings, its family - and Siren does not wish this upon them any longer.

"What will we do?" She sends back, but she already knows.

What had been a quiet affair, an audience of many observing hushed and sympathetic from afar through the Hive's network, did not last for long. Considering who was diving inbound to land in Ursa's snowbanks beside the current gathering of two, the change would likely come as no surprise. Even before he bothered to open his maw wide and begin his usual bellowing, the pervasive miasma of self-hatred saturating woven links of thoughts met an assault full of irritation and quivering impatience. Driven batty by his sibling's constant cringe against her imperfection, the present situation had attracted the full force of Ace's personality for better or for worse.

"Oh, it is about time, isn't it!" Though the Drone's light touchdown barely stirred powder beneath his bulk, the holler might as well have rendered it a crash for how much of a distraction he'd made of himself. One hooked forelimb pointed at the topic of offense welded to Siren's body. "We're going to rip that sucker out and call it a fix, right? Might as well get it over with before the rest of them do."

Far from the most reassuring of statements. Quite the opposite, in fact. But concerns meant little to him when the solution seemed so obvious and unnecessary to tiptoe around.

The connection between the siblings strengthed as one - no, two - approached. Siren's guilt tugged at his own insides, the pity sent back in endless dark waves (perhaps to smother the jolt of visceral discomfort that arced through his body as its afflicted sibling came into view.)

A tragedy, one of many from that gruesome day. "I am sorry. You fell for the cause, and you were rewarded... poorly." The words came with reassurance. They had been wronged, they had been ruined. They would be restored, soon.

Its thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the other one. All the eyes facing Ace squinted with a muted disapproval - they did not want to cause more distress than necessary. Juggernaut answered him aloud this time. "We will remove it, yes." It raised a spined limb, further communicating its intentions and chosen method. It was not quite a tool of precision, but it was the only one between them that wasn't soaked in venom.

@Siren (thread still open for new participants)

The cross thoughts Ace sends through the link are understandable - but not welcomed. Siren is sure more than him have sent those kinds of things through the link at it, but Siren learned to ignore it over time. Still, they unintentionally betray their emotions and send a wave of slight annoyance back.

Of course there isn't many other options they can take but removing the object of annoyance. Non-symmetrical... Not pretty, nor cool looking. A disgrace to the Hive's every way. They were made in Mother's vision, and betrayed it by fighting for their cause. Why were they 'rewarded' in such a way? It doesn't make sense to the many-legged creature.

The flashes of reassurance feels good, and Siren feels a thankful emotion cross the link. His family cares, even if some of them have an odd way of showing it.

"Do what you must. I want this thing gone." Siren has no clue if it will work or not, but at this point they'd rather die than be a being of disgust for their family.

@Ace

Ace was not oblivious to the negativity he'd generated; it'd be impossible for him to not pick up on it due to the connection they all shared. Nevertheless neither squint-eyed scolding nor mild retaliation caused a difference in his attitude. The response reinforced the sentiment already there: a single option existed to end this issue, and the sooner it occurred the better off everyone would be. If his gargantuan tank of a sibling wished to play surgeon, there'd be no protestation from him, just questions as to what role he'd play in the delicate operation.

"So what now?" He eyed the raised appendage, attempting to gauge how much that would hurt digging into flesh. After all, patient or not, pain was an experience none of them would escape. The casualties in Leo had made that perfectly clear as limbs and jaws sheared away had echoed throughout his own design. "I help hold them down and try not to scream?"

An unpleasant thought. It brought to mind the idea of someone pinning down his wings and keeping him from the freedom of the air. Unbidden, a sympathetic shudder crawled over his spine.

@Juggernaut

Regardless of how little it would do, Juggernaut would had eight pairs of eyes, and had plenty to spare to give Ace a judging side eye whenever he crossed a line. Yes, every mind dealt with stress differently, and he was happy to accomodate a sibling - but he would not let antagonising behaviour go completely unaddressed. The fight was over, they were home - could he refrain from speaking for two seconds?

It considered the suggestion for a moment. "Your... Coating. It could cause problems." It let out a long, grumbling hiss (the mutant crab equivalent of a 'hmmmm...') "But it could be a distraction, also." Its words on the matter ended there, and Ace was left with a disinterested surrender - do as you wish.

Now for the hard part - a tendril moved to wrap around Siren's affected limb, pulling the tentacle outward and closer to its various sharper edges. He gave a reassuring squeeze, though it would probably mean very little to any of them in the amatuer surgery to come. "Ready?" He sure wasn't.

@Siren

Siren lets the two of them talk it out, regardless of what they think they don't have much of a choice. It's going to be hard to do anything but rip it out, and the creature wants to be able to return home safely. Right now, she can't. This is her only option, and it wants to take it.

It doesn't want to deal with the poison from his sibling, but if Siren has to, it will. Juggernaut is right, it would become distraction enough for it to withstand the gouging.

"As ready as i'll ever be. Just get it over with."

@Ace

"Oh... Ah, right."

Venom pumping through every pore on his hide couldn't easily be forgotten. It'd be preposterous not to keep in mind such an important design aspect crucial to making him a deadly tool of war. Never mind the awkward scrape of chitinous hooks against each other, merely the usual fidgeting that accompanied ill-restrained energy. Ignore the cough following it as well—the frigid mountain air drying his throat out would receive the brunt of the blame.

"Yeah," he said, grumbling away the very much imagined itch attacking vocals cords, "I'm sorry to inform you that only comes in one flavor: pain. But hey"—a shrug of shoulders came with the admission—"what can you do?"

Soothing sensations were not a part of the Order soldier package; at best, as Juggernaut stated, the cocktail of effects would take attention away from the worst parts of the procedure. Less optimistically, it might just make them all too loopy to perform their jobs right.

He doubted Siren would enjoy a few chunks missing in addition to the asymmetrical outgrowth. However, a problem of that sort could be addressed later. Decision made, Ace reared up and applied the weight of his forelimbs upon the aquatic Drone's shoulders. Since the bottom portion was being attended to, he would try to prevent any squirming from the top.

@Juggernaut

Juggernaut was deeply reliant on the connection of other minds to ground him, more so than others. The deep concern for his sibling's wellbeing exacerbated the issue. He feels the anxiety, from her and Ace, the bristle of an itch needed to be scratched, the discomfort of the unknown, the terror of what they did know. It destabilised him deeply - but it must be done. He raises a limb like the executioner's axe.

And then Ace's posion makes contact with Siren's skin, and the would be surgeon was hit with a wave of nausea. The focus is lost, but the determination remains, and it drives the leg what it assumes to be down, but what is actually more horizontal. The gemstone clatters to the ground, severed - but so does the tentacle, and another, and a couple more. The blow leaves a hideous gash in its form.

For a brief moment, there is silence. Then horror. And then-

@Siren [have fun :'DD]