Published at 11th of December 2025 9:42 am

Chapter 305: Rules and Regulations

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No Serrin, today? spoke Vorath, head turning lazily to take them all in as he stepped around Sythera, Soul Sense avoiding hers like one might avoid a bad smell.

He is receiving another lesson, Vexira replied testily.

Is that what youre calling it? Amusement bubbled from his Soul. You should cut that one loose. An aberration like that, hell only bring you shame.

I will do with him whatever I wish. What do you want, Highspawn? And why are you here, rather than Khoren? Is he not your leader?

Voraths Soul Sense darkened slightly, irritable. He tells me he is uninterested in talking. I am here to talk for him. In that regard, I am merely here to deliver counsel, my delightful sister. You should move quickly. If you leave it too long, the Grey Bugs will dig themselves into that hole, and it will be difficult to get at their queen. It would be unfortunate to miss this opportunity, considering the lamentable lack of slaves in this hive.

My hive, said Vexira coldly. Because I am Queen, and you will refer to me as such. Of course we mean to move against these Grey Bugs with all haste. Your blathering only serves to slow matters.

Vorath spread his wings in what would typically have been a respectful motion. As you gloriously command, oh glorious Queen of glorious Hive Sablethorn. The puffed up, arrogant worm emanated sardonic ripples, but if hed hoped to get a laugh he was disappointed.

Her children glared at him with almost as much contempt as she herself felt. If he even noticed, he didnt show. Truly impressive, he continued with a vague gesture around the throne room. You know, your hive might be the largest Ive ever seen. So long as we dont count our mothers.

The words made an image of her mothers hive rise from the depths of her mind. A construction that sprawled for dozens of miles, gigantic, opulent, home to millions of Hornets and tens of millions of enslaved bugs. Her own was pitiful in comparison. Barely an outpost.

She heard a faint scratching and realised her claws were digging into the arm of her throne. A throne less than a fifth the size of the Empresss. One day, she promised herself, carefully unclenching her claws and beating down the urge to kill Vorath (for perhaps the ninth time that week). If she wasnt careful, shed trigger her Binding.

She looked away from him, making a show of dismissing the Highspawn.

Continue, she told Sythera.

They are Grey Bugs, Sythera said crisply. A large mass, with what I believe is a young, untested queen. Likely split off not too long ago from a main hive. Still, they are numerous, with many Tier 2s. Perhaps even some Tier 3 guardians.

Thryss wings rustled with disdain. Grey Bug Tier 2s are barely a match for our Tier 1s.

Not entirely true, Vexira knew from experience, but not necessarily far off, either.

I propose we send a recon strike force to assess the situation while mustering the rest of the hive, said Sythera.

Vexiras wings stirred in approval, but Vorath spoke again, his ripples emanating disdain. Recon? Muster the hive? Do you need such preparation to deal with some band of Grey Bugs? There is no need to worry. After all, you are fortunate enough to have myself and some of my brothers here to aid you, Vexira.

Queen Vexira, snarled Sythera, turning to glare at him.

Thryss joined her, wings vibrating harshly, and Drekhul and Xyrrith shifted their weight, all four radiating open hostility, joined by the Hands in their alcoves, who grasped Artifact weapons tightly. The weight of all that angry regard washed over Vorath without leaving a mark. He only clacked his mandibles contemptuously at them, stance amused. His wings were humming with clear challenge, a typical prelude to demanding one-on-one combat. His confidence to take on any in the room in such a fight plain.

Any but one.

Vexira rose, Soul Sense shifting, and Vorath tensed as she pressed its heavy weight down on him. Your insufferable smugness has broken all previous limits, she spat, disgusted. Watch your tone, Highspawn. Give me just the tiniest excuse, and Ill turn you into fodder for the slaves.

He was silent but contempt and challenge bled out of every hexagon of his compound eyes. Almost as annoying as Khoren. She could feel the Binding starting to react as she maintained the pressure. With a thrum of disgust she retracted her Soul Sense.

Assemble a strike force, she said. She nodded to Sythera. I agree with your instinct. She glanced irritably at Vorath. They can dig in if they want. We will dig them out all the same. Her mandibles clacked pleasantly then. But since you and yours are so eager for battle, go and fetch Khoren. You and he will go and investigate, along with my sons Drekhul and Xyrrith.

As always, she hoped one of the Highspawn might get himself killed while out there. She pulsed a subtle ripple to her sons alone: Do not engage in any combat unnecessarily. Even if they provoke you, let them exhaust their strength and perhaps die for us. Do not allow them to press you into the same.

She looked to Sythera. Muster the hive, and my other Hands. The Spear gave a salute and turned away. She was already halfway to the door when Vexira gestured to Thryss. Assist me into my armour.

The buzz of wings, hum of thoraxes, and rippling of Souls and Symbiotes filled the chamber, the hive shifting into motion. The four Hands emerged from their alcoves, coming to stand around Vexira in a protective square, hefting their Artifact weapons eagerly.

And get me Serrin! she rippled loudly, to Sytheras back. This will be another opportunity. A teachable moment. Its high time he learned to be a true Hornet.

Thryss, returning with her armour, shook her head. Still you have such high hopes for him, in spite of all past disappointments.

He will learn, Vexira promised grimly. I will not see gifts like his squandered.

###

Before the bots had finished equipping their combat formswhich for each was a slow, involved processthe breach was made.

Legal, linked up with all the bots, saw it happen through the visual feeds of the two mining bots it had put in position. A sudden puff of dust and chunks of rock burst out as a heavy chitinous arm crushed through the wall. An insect limb, built for crushing and prising through rock, forced an opening.

The mining bot beside the hole raised its great drill. Steady, steady, murmured Legal, stopping it from smashing that drill down. Now was not quite the moment. One had to be patient, when waiting for the opposing counsel to make a blunder.

Legal was striding forward itself, clattering on four heavy crab-like legs. The Infiltrators mech-suit, Version One, was built along the same lines as the Assembler Combat Bots, only a little bigger and with choicer components. It passed over the criss-crossing tracks that filled the upper area of the mine, and reached the ridge.

Stepping down the tracked slope that pitched toward the mine, half its focus was on moving and the other was with the mining bots either side of the breach.

It saw rock breaking and falling, more of those insectile rock-splitting limbs flashing behind. The hole was widened, and now a head shoved through, peering around the cavern.

An insect like those the others had seen underneath the Castle, a place Legal had only vague and misty memories of, though this one had external chitin of dark grey rather than mottled green. The insect had a wide, spade-like head, deep-set eyes either side. The creatures mandibles chittered with confusion as it looked up at the mining bots hulking either side of it.

Legal had been slumbering, back then in the castle. But now, now it was awake, and the faint tingle of excitement it felt wouldve surprised the other Modules quite a bit. Still, it pused to justify things.

This bug had broken their wall. That was property damage, unlawful entry, and a violation of their mining claim, to name a few.

The harsh mechanical whine of a 48mm rock-boring drill screaming to life did not come soon enough for the bug to retract its head. The heavy tool punched into chitin. Ichor sprayed as spiralling metal teeth dug into the bugs exoskeleton, chewed right through the bugs flailing head in a blur of spinning steel, then the tip emerged with a crunch, dripping with grey brain matter, on the far side. The insects body continued twitching as the bot reversed the motor, dragged the bit free with an electrical whine and a sucking pop.

The opposing counsel had levelled their first argument, and Legals own had put it quite neatly to bed. As smooth an execution as ever, the Module congratulated itself, but it knew their next attempt was likely to be significantly more persuasive.

The world seemed to hold its breath. Then, from beyond the wall, came a sound like a kettle boiling. A high-pitched, furious whistling, rising in volume.

Legal had reached the tunnel, now, and it stood facing down it. The mech-suits guns were primed and aimed, but the two mining bots blocked its shots.

Ah. A minor miscalculation. It had worried the things would come through before it could get in position. The first of the combat bots was making its way through the large central chamber, and behind it a straggling line of its fellows was pressing through the airlock and out down the slope.

In the tunnel the wall burst apart, and not in one place but many. Heavy insectile limbs forced their way through, mandibles clacking, releasing a furious hiss. Something stormed out of the dust and broken stone.

Mining bot B2 was there to receive it. Gore-encrusted drill spinning, jackhammer arm rising, it met the creature head-on. The bug was not dissimilar in size and shape to an Assembler bot: six crab-like legs, a heavy top half, two massive arms. Those arms drew back to swing but the mining bot was quicker. The jackhammer chewed into the insects torso, crack, crack, crack as it smashed through heavy chitin and punched into soft innards.

The bugs left side went limp but it managed a swing with the right. Fortunately, the bots own combat routines dealt adroitly with that. It seemed that the combat bots were able to recognise these bugs as being basically similar in size and shape as other Assembler bots, and thus knew precisely how to fight them.

It raised its drill arm and met the blow head on, drilling right into the huge, hammer-like limb. Steel chewed and pounded, chitin blew apart with sharp cracks and fleshy internals were pulped. Meanwhile, the jackhammer had kept on working as the bot deconstructed the insects top-half. Legal had to pull the bot away as it continued patiently taking apart the lifeless, collapsing, remains of what had, moments ago, been a very large bug.

Another solid blow for the defence! Legal crowed. If only the others could see it now! It had both the bots begin retreating down the tunnel toward it.

Another bug smashed through the breach, charging at the bot at the back. The bot spun to fight it but this bug was more ready, managed a blow to the bots leg that bent the metal the wrong way. The bot collapsed but only slightly, and its return strikes slammed into the insect, took one of its arms off and tore a great hole in its torso, but the bug kept moving.

The other bot shuffled out the tunnel before Legal, and now its line of fire was a little clearer. Its.50 cal barked, once, twice, thrice, firing around the bot still in the tunnel. The first took the bugs head clean off, but surprisingly enough it kept on going with barely a hitch, if anything it was faster. The second and third, fired as the mining bot shifted out the way, burst its torso open, but still it kept coming, though now slowing like a wind-up toy running out of spring power. It slammed at the bot again with its remaining arm, going for the same leg. The fourth and fifth shots, fired with some annoyance, blew one of its own legs out from under it and finally the thing went down.

Immediately another big bug was revealed, shoving at the dead ones corpse. The mining bot limped as quick as it could toward Legal.

It emerged from the tunnel and took up position on the right, while the other was on the left. Now, at last, Legal had a clean line of fire, and another combat bot was clanking up behind it.

The tunnel was dark, but Legal lit it with thermal vision and pulses of sonar. Both revealed a passage absolutely packed with hissing, chittering bodies. Big ones stomping toward it, and boiling around their legs surged a flood of smaller, dog-like bugs.

Legals guns took aim. Full-auto.50 cal on the left, 7.62 minigun on the right.

However, now the bugs werent directly attacking one of its units, it had to take some action before firing. Just to cover its bases, legally, the kind of thing that it really wished Human Resources would take the time to do.

As justified by the Colonial Holdings precedent of 2333, it boomed from speakers, I am hereby issuing a formal warning: cease forward movement and leave the premises, or be considered hostile and subject to full defensive countermeasures. Do you comply?

Legal carefully recorded the ensuing bug-sounds. The overall reply went something like Skreeeeeeee! Analysis of that revealed no match with any known language.

You are in violation! growled Legal, of Mining Site Safety Guidelines.

The.50 cal let out a thumping boom, heavy rounds aimed at a height to catch at the legs of the big ones, hot white streaks slicing through the dark of the tunnel, pulping and bursting anything they hit. The big one in the front screeched as one of its legs exploded and it toppled, crushing the smaller ones around it. More bullets blew its torso apart, continued on to the ones behind.

The leading edge of the smaller bugs were only metres away, pressing in a heaving, screeching mass down the tunnel.

Legals minigun spun to life and roared out bullets. The pure weight of lead hit the front row and demolished them, threw them back in a spray of black ichor and broken bodies, carved through them into the next row then the next.

Were they running, now? Legal wasnt sure, but it was sure that a court was unlikely to recognise this as a war crime, considering the non-human nature of its opponents.

Thus the Module kept the triggers held.

An endless scream of furious heat and light, as though it held twin gates to hell at the ends of its arms. The entire body of its mech-suit was vibrating as it soaked the recoil, and all its audio-sensors were overwhelmed by the sound of gunfire. The gunbarrels glowed red with heat.

Finally it stopped. Silence but for the pinging of a few shell-cases bouncing off the walls to join those already on the ground, puddles of clinking brass piled around the mech-suits feet. Legal threw out a scan, approximated at least a hundred-fifty bugs dead.

The tunnel looked like it was made from corpses. Ichor, pale internal bits, and dull grey outer chitin was spread over every inch of stone.

Legal lowered its smoking gunbarrels, satisfied. Case closed.

But that was when it heard stone cracking. Not from the tunnel it looked down, but another one. A second later it heard tea-kettle hissing and saw more insectile forms come boiling out of the original breach. If stepping into a tunnel coated in those whod gone before caused them any unease, they did not show it. Instead they charged just as the last had, though now slowed by the need to navigate over all the obliterated corpses.

Legal sent another mining bot and two of the combat bots, finally arrived, in search of wherever the second breach was being made, and raised its guns.

It didnt fire immediately. It waited for the tunnel to fill. It had to, because it was realising a problem.

That first full-auto burst had lasted twenty-two glorious seconds. In that time it had used a sixth of its.50 cal loadout and a fourth of its 7.62, both of which it carried in reasonably large numbers.

Automated carts were already loading up with more rounds in the Assembler room, preparing to roll out into the mines, but with the insects showing no sign of stopping, Legal was forced to think on how much ammo was stockpiled, exactly.

It seemed ridiculous that these things could be willing to come in enough numbers to just die their way to victory, soaking up all of the stockpiled ammo.

But Human Resources and the other Modules had never anticipated an enemy willing to employ such a strategy. Theyd been worried about Cultivators and Cyborgs, sneaky enemies employing tricky means, not hordes of brainless bugs.

The reserves of materials in the Assembler had been large, but theyd used most of it creating bots and building. Theyd only made around four hundred kilograms of ammunition.

It had seemed a lot, to Legal. Against normal enemies, who came in reasonable numbers, that would certainly be plenty. But if these bugs were numerous enough to just keep on coming

Legal updated the rules of engagement guiding the combat bots actions. It instructed them to take care not to waste ammo unnecessarily. No suppressive actions, just firing when on target and, ideally, when the bullet would go through and hit multiple bugs.

It sighted down its own weapons with that ruling in mind, waiting for the perfect moment as bugs seethed through the tunnel.

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