Three weeks ago
Location: Xinex, Mining Galaxy
"Is it just me…or have the insects gotten more organised?"
Kaerin had heard that phrase recurrently over the one or two weeks they'd been settled in the mining galaxy, Xinex. It floated through the barracks, the corridors, the landing pads. Recruits whispered it while polishing guns or hauling crates. Veterans muttered it with stiff jaws.
While he'd normally ignore such talks, he had to admit, the insects did show some degree of comprehension. Not by a lot, but definitely something to take note of.
This meant, much to Kaerin's irritation, that the information given by those damn old generals was completely wrong. Talks about an inferior, low-level insect queen and a moderately small number were clearly put to throw him off. Most likely hoping for a defeat on Kaerin's winning streak.
They almost succeeded, too, considering how Kaerin had taken his two lowest squadrons, where most recruits started, for the subjugation.
However, this had also proved to be a learning experience for the recruits. A few bruised egos, sure, but no dead bodies. A win.
"I'm telling you! I've never fought such a smart insect,"
"Please, you know theory, the high-level ones get smart,"
"Yeah, I thought that was a lie… Ouch!"
"The general!"
Kaerin could only internally shake his head as he passed the newbies. Their eyes widened. Their backs straightened. The conversation died on their tongues. Still wet behind the ears, it seemed.
He headed to the meeting room for what felt like the hundredth time. At least there was one advantage here. The insect clan itself was still a month away from reaching Xinex. Time was a luxury. Reinforcements could arrive. Preparations could continue. Kaerin mused as he entered the room.
The people present all stood up and saluted as he headed to his seat. At the centre of the meeting table, the layout was roughly the same as that in the HQ, except smaller, less grand. That was to be expected; the army generals, while five in number(himself included), all had ties to certain noble families.
He sat and examined the red dots as the others started their reports. The insects were slow-moving but methodical. Nearby galaxies had already been surveyed; some were occupied, while others were scorched. Nothing was left standing where the insects had passed.
Kaerin's arms crossed. The cold lights reflected off the steel of his uniform. Verrik and Mantis flanked him, the latter's posture relaxed yet taut, eyes constantly scanning holographic displays.
"If I may general," said Kinsley, a sub-female, their resident spy master.
"Go ahead,"
He took a breath and started, " The initial recon drones have revealed little. The insect clan's technology remains rudimentary, but it operates faster than the data we had gotten before arriving."
A few people groaned, already used to such underhanded tricks from the other army divisions. Kinsley continued,
"Our sensors picked up structures, hive clusters, and a bizarre pattern: the insects had been gathering a strange blue mineral, feeding it directly to an inferior insect queen. We believe to have discovered another food source for the insects."
Kaerin leaned forward with interest.
The mineral appeared on the projection. The mineral in question was a rather ordinary-looking blue rock, similar to the solar star(sun) colour.
The military, as well as interested research organisations, liked to study the insects. Both for different reasons, but discoveries often led to prestige and honour, one step closer to intergalactic peace…apart from the interstellar pirates being counted, of course.
"Testing the mineral from the mining site revealed nothing of use to us," Mantis added. "Yet they feed it to their queen. Whatever it does, it matters to them."
It's not that insect clan food mattered anyway; the better the food quality for the insect queen, the higher the level of the insect. Thus, the need to eliminate and study their food sources.
While most(minerals and rocks) proved useless, some proved valuable to the Zerg communities, either as nutrients, medicines or processing ingredients. The universe was large after all, not everything had been fully discovered.
Verrik frowned. "As usual, the queen is the key. Take her down, and their coordination collapses. That's basic insect logic one o' one."
Kaerin kept his gaze on the map. "Then that's what we should plan. Hive assault. Priority target: insect queen."
A normal soldier—one of the scouts under Kinsley's command, who had returned from reconnaissance—shifted uncomfortably.
"Sir… the population is larger than we expected. Their breeding rate is high. Every kilometre inward, the numbers double. The hive is crawling with them. Two squadrons won't be enough."
The room fell quiet.
Kaerin tilted his head and studied him. The soldier's hands shook slightly. Not fear, but fatigue. He had clearly been inside the tunnels if he was attending the meeting as a non-ranked soldier. He had seen the swarm.
Kaerin's gaze sharpened. He tilted his head slightly, monitoring the sensors and the reports, parsing every fragment of information. Verrik leaned closer, whispering, "He's right. Even with our strength, we need reinforcements."
Kaerin's fingers tightened over the console, then relaxed ever so slightly. Its, not that they couldn't beat them, as Verrik said. Heck, Kaerin could power through a good chunk of the insects on his own with his SS+ Class strength. It's just that the casualties would be too many. Kaerin didn't like too many unnecessary deaths; that wasn't his thing.
"Summon Delta Squadron(mid-level elites…according to Kaerin). They're a month away. We wait for their arrival. Continue reconnaissance on the queen's chamber. I want every movement logged and clusters mapped."
Mantis raised a brow. "And if we engage now?"
"Too many variables," Kaerin said flatly. "We know the queen is in the centre of the hive. The insects are faster than expected. We risk losing men unnecessarily."
His mind flicked over every detail: drone logs, previous engagements, intel from the ordinary soldier. The insect clan was more intelligent than the rogue species typically exiled in Dominion space. Not brilliant—but smart enough to improvise.
******
Two weeks ago
Reinforcements from Delta would not arrive for another month. Kaerin refused to waste the time. He set out with Verrik and a small survey team to gather data on the planet's terrain and the spread of insect activity. Xinex's air always tasted like metal and dust. The ash clouds hung low and the cliffs glimmered with thin veins of minerals. Verrik kept close to Kaerin and scanned every ridge with a level of caution that made the younger soldiers whisper.
They collected drone footage and ground samples. Kaerin watched the readings rise with faint annoyance. Everything pointed to insect nests forming faster than expected. The hive root patterns spread deep into the crust. That meant the queen was not only competent. She was confident.
Verrik glanced at him. His eyes held strong curiosity.
"Did you reconsider getting married to Irell."
Kaerin lowered the scanner. "Verrick! For the tenth time, I said no."
"You would look good beside him. Irell has presence. You have presence. It is a match carved by fate."
Kaerin turned away. He felt the faint twitch in his eye give him away.
Verrik stared with open disappointment, as if Kaerin had refused basic sense.
Kaerin ignored it. Verrik would try again on another morning.
By the time they returned to the main camp, Ximos, leader of the mining galaxy Xinex, waited at the gates. His posture had the stiffness of a man bracing for trouble. Kaerin knew the man's intentions. Ximos wanted them gone. The miners behind him watched from a distance. Their faces held fear.
Kaerin entered the office without asking. Ximos followed with a strained smile.
"General, I know you are busy. I hope this visit means progress. Xinex cannot handle long-term military occupation."
Kaerin took the chair and answered with some calm in his voice, "I understand, you are worried about your economy, and so am I."
Ximos blinked at the warmth in his tone. It threw him off balance, but he pushed on.
"Our exports dropped by a third since your division arrived. Workers fear the insects, and they fear your soldiers. This place survives on its mining quota. If we fail it, the Dominion can replace us."
Kaerin set his gloves on the table. "Then help me solve the source. The insects target something. You help me, I help you, how does that sound, hmm? What can you tell me?"
Ximos exhaled and started his tirade. "They want the land and our flesh those blood sucking failures! They always have."
Kaerin held his gaze. "The blue mineral."
Ximos seemed surprised by the mention of the mineral. Before the army came, it was just another rock. In fact, it still was. Even the army and Dominion labs couldn't find use for it after all that testing.
"It is just a useless stone. Pretty colour. No value. Our real profit lies in dense ore and rare metals. You see those containers outside."
Kaerin leaned back with quiet patience.
"You stated earlier that your exports dropped due to fear. You did not mention this mineral until I asked."
Ximos' jaw ticked. "Because it is worthless. A rock that shows up at random. It is not rare. It is not important."
Verrik fidgeted near the door. He couldn't help but sympathise with Ximos, who was clearly off balance after a talk with his friend.
Kaerin spoke in a low voice. "Tell me where it is found."
Ximos lifted both hands. "It appears in scattered pockets. Too small to matter. We do not even log it."
Kaerin's stare sharpened.
"Identify every world in this region where it exists or may exist."
Ximos shook his head. "General, with all due respect, this is unnecessary. If you want to subjugate the insects, do it and then leave. The longer you stay, the closer Xinex moves toward collapse."
Kaerin rose. The movement carried no threat, yet Ximos stepped back.
"You will give me the list even if you don't know for sure… try long and hard to remember or ask around from your subjects. After that, I decide how long we stay."
Something in Kaerin's eyes made Ximos swallow his next argument. He turned to the panel on the wall and brought up a starmap. He seemed thoroughly irritated.
"Fine! I seem to remember…" He said with a look of concentration, "Aah yes!... These are the planets with known deposits. Here. Here. And here. Low quality. Unremarkable. They mostly show up in planets with minimal minerals, bunch of money killers, alright, always when there's no valuable thing."
Clearly, he hated those rocks; they seemed to be a sign of poverty to him. True enough, the planets he'd listed were all those with the lowest mineral count or suited for agriculture for the residents of Xines galaxy.
His finger moved to another cluster.
"And these are possible sites. We detected traces decades ago. Never worth the cost to confirm."
Kaerin studied the floating chart.
"What about that one?"
Ximos did not bother to hide his groan.
"A trash planet outside the system, it's where we throw excess non-recyclable parts. Full of scraps, storms, and rot. Nothing lives there. Nothing grows there. No one lands there. It is grey across the surface. Nothing but waste. The rocks there are purple. Not blue. I promise your mineral is not there."
Kaerin held the image a moment longer.
"We will mark it."
"For what purpose?" Ximos snapped. "General, it is dead rock. I assure you."
Kaerin's face did not change. "We decide the value. Not you."
Ximos pressed his palms to the table, and tried to steady his breathing.
"Then please, General, finish your mission fast. The insect clan grows restless, and the miners and residents are scared. As long as your division sits here, everything slows. Xinex cannot afford this."
Kaerin headed for the door. His thoughts moved in quiet alignment. Ximos did not know the importance of the mineral. No one did. His ignorance was honest. The insects were the only ones behaving as if the stone mattered.
Verrik caught up beside him.
"He was not lying about the rock. He really hates it."
Kaerin nodded. "His hatred is useful. At least he hates the useless planets enough to remember."
Verrik frowned. "You think it means something."
Kaerin walked into the open air where the ash clouds churned. "It means the insects want it. That's one of the puzzle pieces."