MOTHER

RESISTANCE

She had been considering, planning, and watching. After instructing the Hive to withdraw from all overt activities a couple weeks back, Mother had been debating how best to proceed.

She'd finally struck on it, she thought, and now... she needed volunteers.

A link was opened with the Hive as a whole. While others could usually simply tune her out, this time it was like someone clinking a wine glass with a fork to politely but firmly request attention.

"Children of our Hive. I request... volunteers. A mission of secrecy. Urgency. Diplomacy. Risk. Who wishes to make the attempt?"

They would be accompanied, she told them--at the same time as she spoke, in imagery of a pair of Praetors. It would be a quick mission, if all went well. And hopefully they would run into no trouble, no violence. Certainly she didn't wish to start any.

But the Hive had been sitting on information. It was time to begin to share it, even if their potential allies were... those only of convenience, at best tentative and at worst, dangerous. Still... if it weakened Chaos, here?

So be it.

---

Open to all Hive.

Jinyi's answer came immediately. I volunteer. Diplomacy—he could try his hand at that, as he had tried before. As he was always trying, with every bag of chips seeded around the caves for someone to find, and hopefully discover the joy (and/or deliciousness) of Dontas/cael. Urgency, and risk? He could handle that, too.

Anything for the Hive, after all, and he could fly if really necessary. And had access to a new magical potential, now, should he need it.

Yellow's answer was more hesitant, considered, but it too came in the end. Me too. They had always wanted to make friends with the Gembound outside the Hive—at least, those that didn't outright attack them or support the Valkhounds. The success of their friendships might be... questionable, but they liked friends. They liked venturing outside and exploring. They wanted to help the Hive connect with outsiders, as they had been one too, once. And was their form not still one of the... 'natural', as Rift had called them, Gembound?

Should they not still be considered one of them, just as much as they were one of the Hive?

Yellow thought so. And if this information they had to share was important, if it helped them fight off the Valkhounds that killed and burned and hurt everything around them, of course they had to help.

Healer was eager to help, but just a touch hesitant. If I accompany, would my allegiance to the hive be revealed? It was meant to be an ambassador, yes, but via infiltrating unwitting outsiders, lowering their guard and dissuading any unsavory rumors they might have about Mother's Hive under the guise of a neutral third party.

Mother had assured them that no violence would occur, but the mention of risk still made them nervous and antsy. It itched at it's purpose in a distressing, counter-initiative way. It's purpose was to heal, but it could only heal those who were injured, but it obvious didn't WANT any of its family to get injured. It just wanted- NEEDED- to heal them. I will be on standby incase any get harmed during this mission. Was all that it "said" aloud.

Were anyone to peer at the end of their link, Halcyon's mind could have been best described as a still pool of water. So agitated had they been by the idea of abandoning maintenance of Hive strongholds to outside forces' whims that this period of retreat was one that had demanded adopting a mindset of absolute calm, enforced by deep meditation. The request ringing across the network slipped into their thoughts as a solitary raindrop, and the ensuing ripples heralded the Drone stirring into a more alert state. From where they sat, contemplating, claws crept toward the staff laid down beside them. Once its reassuring parallel grain settled into their palm, they hefted and rested it upon their shoulder.

"Zero-Zero-Five Steward, reporting for service." It was a prompt response, though tinged with the concern and caution old memories brought. Past missions might have led to less than ideal outcomes, but now came the opportunity to demonstrate they'd reviewed, learned, and improved from those. While no great diplomat, their role, as always and forever, would be support. They'd follow and shoulder whatever burdens might come.

For Mother and Hive.

Ananke's head came up. Her fervor was measured, calm, though the thread of zealotry lay waiting beneath. "I am here, if I am needed," she said aloud--softly--and through the link to the Hive.

And then her mind settled; silent but present, attentive to whatever would come next, acknowledging the presence of her fellow Hive. Not that they were not all always present, but it was, now, more than just a background hum. They were alert, and they were listening--at least, those who had thus far responded.

MOTHER

RESISTANCE

Mother was silent, contemplating those who had offered. Jinyi was a card plucked from the deck, examined, and set before her: he would be chosen. Yellow, then, would be his second, and Mother's mind whispered in theirs. "You will be perfect for this." It was reassurance, and her next message was to Jinyi, as well: "The both of you. You will need to be quiet and swift. Priestess. Healer. Keep yourselves hidden but you will pursue and remain one cave away." This was her precaution: should Jinyi or Yellow be harmed, the pair of would-be healers would be positioned to act.

Then she settled in to explain. "We have knowledge. Some of you may be aware. You recall I withdrew all of you from the public eye. There is... activity. The Valkhounds are departing the caves. Not all of them. But enough that they will be vulnerable. There is little we can do to take advantage alone: the Masters remain, as do their old soldiers." It was the new ones, if the Collector was to be believed, who would be gone. And she did imagine that his words were truth, though she wasn't stupid enough to rely on that entirely.

"There is one I would have you seek." Her words were careful, and came alongside imagery, some of it old and cluttered with confused battle and some... fresh. New. A spy's work, a Lesser's.

A cluster of Gembound, hiding in an alcove among the bones, and a tiger defending them. He was large, well-muscled, his coat a black-striped white and his gemstone shining pink-purple at his forehead. His eyes shimmered in matching hues, and there was desperate determination in them.

And then images of the same tiger, looking down upon long-abandoned bones.

Lapping at a stale pond of water.

Wandering, now, through the tunnels, alongside a river in the dark, padding head low (as if lost in thought, or emotion) past a small waterfall. Pausing to look down upon glowing fish, gleaming with false eyes: Andromeda?

"He was last seen here. He is known as Teosar. I would have you seek him out, and tell him what we know. Inform him that weakening Chaos here is to our advantage, and thus we pass this knowledge on to him, with no expectation and no cost. I choose you because you are responsible. Trustworthy. Kind. He values these traits. He is a Defender." It was given as a title.

Mother was intense as she told them all of this. More than usual. She was finished planning: it was time for action.

"But tell him that if he wishes to cooperate, he may simply call for us. He will not... I do not believe. But leave him this option." She sent the knowledge, too, that while she would not allow the Hive to be used, she would gladly join an ally against the Chaos of this nest--temporarily, at least.

There was nothing else to wait for. Other volunteers, perhaps late-waking, might offer and be given tasks; but for now, Jinyi and Yellow were the ones to seek out Teosar. And Ananke, Healer--they were to remain carefully (but not too far) behind.

To Halcyon she gave another task: "Zero-Zero-Five Steward. You are to gather further volunteers. I give you command of three Praetors and six Cleaners. You are to prepare a space within the Hive... for visitors. Guests. Prisoners. Food, lodging. Do you understand?"

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Open to all Hive.

@Jinyi @Yellow @Healer @Ananke @Halcyon

Sister listened to each of her siblings volunteer. From her side of the link came a sense of confusion...and anticipation. She could not parse the use of a diplomacy mission. Would destroying the chrysalises of chaos not do more good? Sabotauging their tunnels? She was hesistant to voice this confusion into the link. Mother knew best, and she'd look a fool for questioning her in front of everyone. It was best to stew in her own confusion. Regardless, Sister knew she wanted to aid. Not because the idea of diplomacy had interested her, but because she had grown bored of the same tunnels, mixing the same gene samples, dissecting the same lessers. She wanted to go out there. She stewed in her thoughts for a long while.

"Mother...," Sister said eventually. "I am willing to aid in whichever way you see fit. Although I feel I am conceptually best suited physically for providing aid within our tunnels, I would like to request permission to leave them and engage in a mission outside of them." Her tentacles curled in on themselves with unrestrained excitement.

Jinyi felt the weight of being chosen, heavy but thrilling at the same time, settled around his shoulders before he even knew what their task would be. He hung onto Mother's every word, imprinting the instructions into his brain like drinking the sweetest ambrosia. Quiet. Swift. Opportunity. Generosity. Teosar, the valiant defender of the vulnerable in times past. A twinge of sympathy ran through him as he watched the memories Mother showed them. Such a brave, selfless warrior—it was a shame that he had fallen to this lonesome state, while the Chaos he had fought in ages past ran amok once more. It was fitting, perfect really, that he would be able to fight in the defense of innocents again, and perhaps even strike a crippling blow against Chaos with the help of the Hive.

The idealistic speculation was put on pause as the imagery turned modern. Last seen in Andromeda? They would head there, then, together. "I understand, Mother," Jinyi breathed through the link, committing her instruction to memory. He turned toward Yellow, gesturing in invitation. Should they make preparations now, and then go searching together? He could carry the sifaka on his shoulders for the journey, if they wanted—he sent a concept of the two of them together, carried in flight by magical pink-gold wings.

A sense of nervousness ran through them and kept Yellow on edge through the description of their task. It was as Mother had described before, of course—diplomacy, risk, but ideally not involving actual conflict—but the importance of such a mission made them anxious. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to strike Chaos while they were weakened—they couldn't mess this up. Unconsciously, Yellow leaned forward slightly for Mother's description of the one they were to seek, though of course it didn't have any effect on the actual reception from the link—

Something wrapped its fist around the sifaka's chest with the remembered scenes that streamed into their mind. A tiger. A protector, a guardian, just like—them. He'd fought and survived all those years, just for... just for Valkhounds to roam across the caves again, while his friends, those who actually deserved to survive and to laugh and to wander freely—

It was upsetting. Yellow did not like being upset. Their small black fingers had curled unconsciously into fists, but they carefully uncurled them now and scrambled for Jinyi. Teosar. He remembered. He had fought Chaos, and knew its cruelty. He would not cooperate with it, or remain painfully neutral. He would help them—they would help him—they would right this injustice, together.

Let's go.