The War Apiary

Chapter 1

To the east beyond the lip of the creator sat the remains of London. Overgrown, empty, and most of all hazardous. To the north lay the ice wastes, void of all intelligent life apart from the few tech scavengers and pirates that roam there.

To the south lay that vast expanse of Eurasia. 

The small settlement of Prata was positioned in the centre of a 100-mile radius crater left from an ancient war many a century ago on the land peninsula of Britannia. The river Ethos ran through the cavity left on the country as a memento of times gone by. Filled with meadows, and no forests to stop them, wild herds of cattle, sheep, and deer that were the remnants of a once-mighty farming Nation roamed the vastness. The sky was cloudless and a warm breeze swept across the Erebus basin, for that was what the nation called the cavity. Named after the mad scientist that created it centuries ago during when the Antediluvian Ones walked the earth. Meany craters of the same size could be found dotted throughout Europe and the world. Many of which were inhabited. The ground was rich with minerals and valuable ores.
It was a beautiful sunny day in late fall. Many citizens of the small beekeeping town of Prata made sure to use the good weather and were out in the surrounding fields tending to the towns Bee Hives. Many indeed were, but a few had other things to tend too.
"You promised me that you would be here on Sunday for the ceremony."
"I did." Replied the middle-aged man from the carriage. "But plans change."
The Young Man looked dismayed and stared at the cobbled street.
"I promise I won't be long gone." The man continued. "Two months at least and then I will return from Virtutem Spei." The two horses that were harnessed to the carriage shook their heads impatiently. "Jack look at me."

The Young Man slowly raised his gaze to match the man. "You said that last time. You were gone for nearly a year."

The man looked troubled. Stress lines were vivid on his face, making him look older than what he really was. "The Queen's Concilium needs me, I can't say no."

The young man nodded. He knew he was being selfish towards the nation. His Uncle's time was precious and being the Nations head Scientist was time-consuming, especially when living so far away from Italy and the rebellion being so active in the past few years.

"You can tell me all about the ceremony when I get back. Now I have to go, for time is limited, you need not worry. Lodovico is due back from his Journeys tonight, make sure you have set a place at the dining room table for him. He will keep an eye on your progress." He ushered the driver on and the carriage began to move.

Jack watched as his Uncle slowly disappeared down the road and out of town before he himself made his way indoors.
Their housekeeper, Miss. Dunderly had watched all that had happened from the front door and felt sorry for Jack.
"Master Jack, why don't you go out like the rest of the town and make good use of the sun." She said as he came up the garden path.
He didn't want to go out and work with bees, he wanted his uncle back. His Uncle was the closes thing he had to a dad. The mystery of his parents plagued his mind often, and when he brought it up with his Uncle, the topic was quite quickly dropped.

                                                                                  _

"Your father will see you now." Announced the Centurion.

The lady bowed low before passing through the doors of the Council Room. She approached the throne of circuitry and threw herself at the feet of it. "Father, I am thankful that you have agreed to see me." She said, her white lab coat draped about her on the floor. Her blond hair was wrapped up in a bun and she wore thick bottle bottom glasses.

"Mellifera," Smiled the man who was sitting on the throne made from complex old computer parts. The brains of the Antediluvian Ones, people called them. "What have you brought to bother me with this time?" He asked.

"I have come to tell you that we have finished the first successful build of the BEI BEE." She announced without raising from the ground. The smooth marble tiles were cool to the touch. "We are ready to go forward into beta testing them before releasing them out into the wild."

"Rise." He ordered. "I have already told you that I want you to work on retrieving samples from the Spatia Glaciers with Dr Arken Jones before we continued with the BEI BEE"

"I don't want to work with him." She said abruptly, rising from the floor.

Apis's eyebrow twitched before he slowly got up from the throne. "You are just like her!" He whispered sadly. "Would never take an order, would never see the bigger picture." He looked sad, troubled which was normal when he talked about Her. He stepped down from the throne pedestal and took a step towards where Mellifera stood. His arms stretched out wide. "Come, my daughter." He said softly.

She took a step back away from his repulsive character. "I want freedom father." She said firmly, what she really wanted was to make him proud, for him to say those words that seemed to never pass his lips let alone his consciousness. "I want to make my own choices in what I research. The QC has nothing for me and nor I for It."

Apis looked at her. His sorrow soon turned to anger. "The system only works if the people, which includes you, follow orders!" He fumed. "You are just like your mother, always daydreaming, inturn achieving Nothing!"

Mellifera's heart sank, every meeting she had with her father ended in hatred and bitter memories, and most of the time about her mother. She turned and made her way towards the door.

"No one said that you could leave!" He shouted. "You have become like a spanner in the gears of the system! Just like Lamina!"
She was running now, she shot past the Centurion in the hall and down the spiral stairway, leaving her angry father's echoes behind her.

                                                                                    _

The streets lay in darkness. The gas lamplighter had not yet come around to that part of the city yet. A man crept in the darker shadows, as quiet as a cat. Trying his best not to be seen. Keeping his eyes and ears alert, he knocked on a door. Twice, waited five seconds, three times.
After a couple of moments of silence, the sound of deadlocks being removed and the door opened.
A short fat man ushered the man in and closed the door tightly behind him. "You are early, Hero Hishi-ammuddin. The others are not due for another hour." The short fat man said.
The tall man bowed his head politely. The candles that lit the room cast a flickery light on the man's age. He wasn't particularly young. His voice took on urgency. "I do not mean to be rude in arriving early Kakashi, I have received urgent news from Vietnam." His face took on a look of distress which aged him even more so.
Kakashi pulled out a stool for Hero to sit down on. "Tell me what has happened, old friend."
Hero took a seat and wiped his forehead with a cloth. "The Rebellion has raided another village and burnt it to the ground."
Kakashi stood quietly for a couple of minutes digesting the news before asking where.
"In the Provence of Lam Dong."
Kakashi laid a hand on Hero's shoulder. "Your daughter and family?"
"Dead." He replied in a faint barely audible whisper.
Kakashi had already guessed the answer and now wished he hadn't asked.
"I ask permission from the Underground to go and report any findings that might shine some light on the Rebellion," Hero asked as he wiped an escaped tear away from his cheek.
"But Hero, you are far too old to travel," Kakashi exclaimed. "The Underground will never approve of bringing out one of their prized agents from retirement to work again."
Hero looked up at Kakashi's face. "I need to go, Kakashi. This is not for the congregation, this is a personal family matter of my own. Will you help me, as a favour for an old friend?"
Kakashi hesitated. "I will do more than that." He said and walked out of the room before returning with a handful of notes and shoved it into Hero's hands. "This should get you a high-speed ticket on the Silk Tracks. If the Underground inquiries I will do my best to keep their big noses out of your doings."
Hero's eyes filled with tears. "You don't need to go as far as buying my ticket."
Kakashi smiled. "It is for old times sake."
Hero got up and hugged Kakashi, knowing that they both missed the good old days of working together on missions that the Underground came across. "You are a great friend, Kakashi."
They let go of their embrace and Kakashi smiled. "I try my best. Now go!" He opened the door and Hero departed.