The Chronicles of Lich King's Landing

The Founding Part 2

"And they just left you behind? What a bummer. Don't they care about you?"

Ga'bjshik chewed thoughtfully on the thing called bread the human had given him. He took his time. Of course because it was delicious, especially when compared to the standard nutrient paste he had eaten his whole life on the hive ship. And on the other hand, to get a little more time to think about the strange question. It roused feelings in him that he didn't know he was capable of: loneliness and insecurity for a start.

"No. They of course do care. Like the swarm cares for any of its constituents. But if the swarm continues its migration and a drone is not on the hive ship, the drone gets left behind. A single drone is not important for the swarm."

The human swept her black, curly hair behind her ear with one hand and wrinkled her forehead. Ga'bjshik estimated this to be a sign of curiosity or surprise, probably both.

"Won't they miss you?" she asked.

This time Ga'bjshik didn't need time to think about the question.

"No." He imitated the gesture for disagreeing with something that he picked up in the last days of his aimless wandering around on the human starship by shaking his head.

"The swarm will not be impeded in its function by one single drone missing. Dozens of drones perish and get replaced by freshly hatched Skreelith every day on a single ship. There are about two million other drones on the hive ship completely identical to me and ready to take my place and function after a short maturation period. There is nothing that makes me special."

"What a scary thought".

"Why?"

The human sighed and wrinkled her forehead again. This time, Ga'bjshik wasn't sure what emotion that corresponded to.

"Well... it's just scary. I'm pretty happy I am me. If I'd be identical to all other humans around me, or they to me, it would be very frightening. Terrifying even."

A couple of seconds later, the added: "And a total disaster for us. Humanity, I mean."

"Why?"

The woman - Ga'bjshik was now pretty sure it was a female - looked at him with what he interpreted as a serious look.

"Because everyone being different, as in having strengths and weaknesses, is one of humanity's best assets, especially when fighting against someone so hell-bent on conformity like these blasted Drynari."

Ga'bjshik must have betrayed his confusion and disagreement in a non-verbal way, because she began to laugh out loud.

"Come. Let me show you."

A couple of minutes later she walked him into the chaos and hustle of a crowded hangar space. The screeching sound of an angle grinder biting into a bent and smoking fighter frame assaulted his ears, accompanied with a shower of red sparks that whirled around the metal floor until they were sucked into a ventilation vent not unlike the one Ga'bjshik had been hiding for the last days.

Other humans were jostling around the dented hull. One of them was operating a ceiling-mounted crane to lift out the smoking engine. Instead of wearing high-visibility clothes and a hardhat like the others, he sported bare muscular arms, a strange leather hat with a wide brim and a short stick in his mouth that glowed at the end.

"That is Kilby. This is ... was his last test ship. He's our tinkerer. Constantly developing new designs. The usually explode, burn or malfunction in a most spectacular way."

She waved in his general direction. He inclined his head and tipped the brim of his hat with a finger.

Ga'bjshik just watched, not understanding anything.