Interstellar Age
Chapter 293 The Hive is Here to Stay

Chapter 293 The Hive is Here to Stay

Terminus spent most of her time on Midgard preparing her Hive Fleet for its ascension. By now, the overwhelming majority of her larvae had hatched and grown. So much so that it was difficult to keep them a secret from the planetary population.

Because of this, Erich had commissioned Tia to create ships that would take the Naraku off world, so that they can go replace another world to devour, and use its resources to create a proper Hive Fleet which was capable of withstanding the harsh reality of the galaxy. 

In order to convince Terminus to agree to this request, which was one that her people thought was damn near unacceptable due to their almost religious hatred of mechanical technology. Erich had agreed to spend every waking hour of his life, over the course of the time it took to build this fleet, copulating with the young Hive Queen.

The very idea revolted him, but the sooner Erich could get the Naraku off his world, and into the void of space, the better. Not only did he take an enormous risk of making an enemy of the entire galaxy by hosting members of the galactic menace within his enclave. But frankly Erich was disgusted by the bugs, all of which were actually his offspring. 

Of course, Terminus knew very well that Erich was revolted by the idea of copulating with her. And because of this, every moment they spent together, she made sure it was an enjoyable experience for the man. Mostly by flooding his mind with pheromones which increased his arousal, attraction, pleasure. 

Before Erich knew it, nearly six months had passed, and Tia had built enough vessels to transport the Naraku, their larvae, and all the eggs that Terminus had managed to spawn across the galaxy to a world that Tia had chosen which met the ideal conditions to spawn their Hive Fleet. 

Terminus was surprised by the volume of eggs she had lain, which was beyond the capacity of any Hive Queen before her, and even had to admit that it was Erich who allowed her to accomplish such a foot. Within six months, the new Hive which named itself after its predecessor. Had as many Naraku either hatched or lain, the original Terminus Hive Fleet had when it invaded Germanic Space all those years ago. 

And while these numbers were greatly diminished from when the old Terminus Hive Fleet was in its prime. They were no laughing matter. Especially since the Naraku born of the union between Erich and the new Terminus were significantly more powerful than their predecessors. 

Thus, when the day finally arrived for the hive fleet to leave Midgard behind, Terminus made a shocking declaration both to her Hive, and to her host, who had allowed her to stay safely on this world during a time which was most dangerous for the formation of a Naraku Hive. 

"As your queen, I have done everything in my power to ensure a prosperous future for the Hive. And I know this news may be shocking, specifically because our species has been nomadic since the ancient era. But, I have decided to stay here in Midgard with my king. 

After all, without my king, I can not breed the next generation. And since our king has decided not to follow the hive into space, it is your duty, as children of the hive, to gout and plunder for resources, so that the Hive may thrive here on its new home. 

So from henceforth, the Terminus Fleet shall not be used as the home of the Hive, but rather as a means to plunder resources and bring them back to our home here on Midgard. As for the worker drones. From this day forth, you shall begin digging deep into the crust of this world with the goal of building a new habitat, here in Midgard that is suitable to our Hive!" 

The hive instantly agreed with their queen's decision. After all, Midgard was a mega-earth, with 10x the mass as the human homeworld. And maybe 5x the mass of Germania. It was once a barren world incapable of supporting life. But through Tia's terraforming efforts, it was made into a utopia, capable of supporting a wide variety of lifeforms. 

Midgard was also heavily fortified to protect the Germanic population. Who habited the world in such limited numbers that the overwhelming majority of it was actually entirely devoid of habitation?

To build a hive in this world would be an easy effort. And this planet could sustain tens of trillions of Naraku. And those who did not live on Midgard could always reside in the fleet, forever expanding across the galaxy or even the universe, devouring biological life, and bringing its genetic material back to the hive to evolve it. 

Previously, there had only been one reason that the Naraku never settled on their own worlds, and were instead a nomadic menace. And that was the fear that if they were to do so, the entire galaxy would gang up and destroy them. 

But for Terminus, this wasn't actually a problem. The Silber Enclave was an interstellar state, that was legally recognized by one of the four major Galactic Powers. And nobody knew that the Naraku was in this world. 

They could tunnel deep into the planet's crust, and nobody would ever be the wiser. And since there was a silent alliance between the Silber Enclave, and the Terminus Hive, they could even form a symbiotic relationship with the local Germanic Population, without the average citizen even being any the wiser. 

There was just one problem with all of this. Erich had not agreed to this proposal, and when he heard Terminus declare her intent to her hive, he was quick to corner her and ask her just what the hell she was talking about. 

"This wasn't part of the deal, Terminus! I was supposed to help you establish your fleet, and you would all get off of my world!" 

However, Terminus responded to Erich's aggression with a sultry smile, while rubbing one of her talons down the man's chest. She had grown quite fond of Erich during their time together, despite the fact that he was responsible for the death of her sister and all of her children.

 It was a natural part of the hive mind. She considered the man Naraku now, and since he was her mate, not her king. She had naturally wanted to stay by his side. Not only for biological reasons, such as the need to produce new generations to replace those slain in battle. 

But also because Terminus had begun to feel an intense emotional and sexual attraction to Erich. Thus, when he responded aggressively, she took it as him being playful, since she knew now that he had joined the hive, he could never harm her or their children. And because of this she responded in an equally playful tone. 

"My King... Don't you mean our world? What is mine is yours, and what is yours is mine. Is this utopia you have built not the perfect place for our two people to co-exist? It is a dawn of a new era. The Naraku finally has an ally. Not a tributary, but a genuine ally. One that has great potential to one day become a galactic power. 

I promise you, love, we will only enhance the fortifications you have built on this world. And if you should ever come under attack, and are in need of defenders, the hive shall answer the call, because this world not only belongs to the Germanic people, but to the Hive as well. 

Do not worry, my dear, I will reside with the hide, deep beneath the planet's crust. And when you feel the biological urge to breed, I will be waiting for you with open arms. But I should warn you, you may not have experienced it yet, because we have been intimate so often, but if you are away from my arms for too long, you will begin to feel certain things. 

Erich knew there was really no way for him to remove the Hive now that Terminus had made up his mind, and thus he sighed heavily, before allowing the young Hive Queen to do as she pleased. After all, as much as he hated to admit it, he was a part of the hive, and if Tia acted on her own and slayed its members, he would feel wounded himself. A wound that he may never actually recover from. 

"Fine... The hive can stay, but make sure you are out of sight. If my people learn that the hive is on the planet, they will turn on me, and when they do, the galaxy will know of your location as well. When that happens, were are all as good as dead!"

Terminus smirked when she heard this, almost as if she had just won a great victory, before responding to Erich's cautions with a tone as if what he had just said was obvious. 

"Relax, we know how much we are hated across the galaxy. And we know the consequences of what would happen if we were to reveal ourselves. We shall take every measure to ensure that we are not discovered, and that our hive ships are concealed when they enter your space. Believe it or not, but we do have Camoflauge systems for when we need them....

You know, you really should stop acting so cold towards me. You may say that you don't wish to see me. But we both know that in a week you will be in a rut, and you will force your way into the hive to replace me. I will see you then!" 

After saying this, Terminus and her children departed. Those who went into space to scavenge for more resources had begun to do so, while the worker drones followed Terminus into a secluded area to begin the construction of their hive. 

No matter how much Erich might protest, the Hive was here to stay. And whether this was a boon, or a curse, he did not quite know the answer.