It drifted through the stars like a crypt, encased in a seed-like shell of bone, teaming with a spectrum of hues. The Consortium dubbed them nests due to their size and the hungry contents within. Yet for the Infestare, who considered their transportation to be living members of the brood, there was no need for a broad classification.
They were all nameless. Formless until proven worthy, and completely without value till the day they claimed glory in combat. Lovatte never loved her people's culture, even after she went through such effort to bathe them in the ever-growing light of her garden. But the Infestare were unscathed by such a scornful mother.
It would have been far more frightful to be loved.
Within the churning halls of the ship lay heaps of flesh and twitching husks, eager to be awoken for battle. Its interior was all so chaotic, a mixture of ornate patterns along the walls mixed with a beastly growth on the floors. Only where the Broodmaster stood could there be found a modicum of order, high above the crowd at the top of the nest.
The towering figure stared out into space, its body exposed to the elements without issue. It was a fine view of the ship's organic hull, twisting around itself like the tip of a spindle. And with the Broodmaster's excellent eyesight, further enhanced by his connection with the ship itself, he could see the path ahead.
The Aerie, cradled on a lush planet with deceptively few inhabitants.
The Broodmaster's mind, well protected by its bony visor, was oddly still. He thought little of Lovatte's command, nor the reasons behind them. As long as the brood found battle and the chance to grow boundless, then all was right with the universe.
It was hard to imagine that a creature so excited to take a life felt no hatred in its mind. Even the Harrow, despite its cold shell and faceless figure, had a tinge of contempt behind every step. For the Infestare, combat was simply a chance to profess their beliefs and reflect on their existence.
Their history, however jagged and marred by recent events, was rather clear on one simple fact. Very few among them ever learned to hate. That was one of the many ways Lunae stood out. As for the Broodmaster, he was happy enough to lean on his sharpened blade as he looked up at the stars.
A fine edge, glazed over by an amber-like substance that allowed it to shimmer in the dark.
The journey for the brood would be rather conveniently short, thanks primarily to their control of the surrounding territory. There was no consideration for strategic avenues such as FTL lanes, where the interstellar turbulence was lightest. No, for the Infestare, traveling across the void would always be a straight shot.
Caring about the weather and the road was for the Consortium. Queen-forbid they ever act as carefully as the humans, who still bothered to sling themselves around celestial bodies. The Infestare might not have been a social people, but they still had a sense of cultural pride.
The Broodmaster shifted its left claw, causing a sea of shriveled-up figures to stir from behind. He was far from what Yrix would call a Psion, yet the ability to commune with the hive was, in and of itself, a dangerously similar ability to what many of Psionic talent wielded in the Consortium. With such a potent reach, the Infestare who answered to Lovatte could orchestrate the entire brood with ease, guiding millions into battle.
However, it was rather frowned upon to rely on the hive. Individually and infighting were considered to be the pinnacle of the Infestare's culture. Without it, Lovatte would have never become queen. And so for that reason alone, the Broodmaster had little intention of micromanaging his people.
Such contradictories were common for the Infestare, even before the age of their new queen. They were a fickle people, choosing to play with feral hunger and a stiff-necked religion all in the same swing. Perhaps it was the absurd culture that made them so frustratingly unpredictable.
Their ships, even at their largest, weren't particularly more advanced than what the Consortium had to offer. And their magic, however potent and sinister, wasn't nearly on the level of the Harrow. No, it was the tenacity and sheer will of the Infestare that allowed them to become such a galactic pest.
That was what Yrix would tell her students.
If they were ever unlucky enough to ask.
And as for their queen.
No one understood her.
Not even her own daughter.
The tall Infestare pointed foward towards the Aerie, exciting the brood once more. It was only a matter of time till they would blot out the sky and devour the planet down to the crust. For no matter how much they ate, there was always more room to grow.
- - - - - - - - - - -
"We shouldn't intrude."
"She might need our help! I could feel her pain...Ivy is-."
"In bad enough of a condition for Yrix to postpone my surgery. I'm aware."
"So then-."
"Lila can sort it out. I trust her."
Lunae and Sonera argued outside the cafeteria, peaking in on the fringes of the bathroom. They had sensed the confrontation between Lila and Ivy some time ago. But despite Lunae's protests, nothing had been done to help resolve the matter.
"Search again." Sonera cocked her head. "It's going...better."
"You never know with Ivy!" Lunae pouted, crossing her arms. "She's...unpredictable."
Both girls became suddenly still, watching in awe as two figures emerged from the bathroom. At first, they were rather pleased to see a lack of visible frustration on the heiress's face. But a second glance threw them both into a fit of shock, unique of course to their own rational.
"Oh...uh." Lila froze in her tracks, trailing behind Ivy as she looked up to see her family. "Shit..."
The heiress sighed, staring intently at the pair. "It's time they knew Lila. Better get it over with."
Even in the dim light of the cafeteria, Ivy's face and hand were laid bare for all to see. She was, without a shadow of a doubt, observably inhuman. It didn't take much explanation, or any at all, as a matter of fact, to explain what she really was.
"You-." Sonera gasped, her face marred with fear. "Ivy...are you alright?"
Lunae seemed a bit more bewildered, rushing over to the heiress in an attempt to soothe her. "Oh-Ivy! I-..."
And so it came to pass.
A new student had officially entered the Aerie.