Poggle the Lesser, Archduke of Geonosis, slowly climbed the steps of the ancient Hive. Most of the carved stone ornaments had long since crumbled, and in several places the walls and ceiling had collapsed, yet he continued onward. Despite the thick layer of dust coating the stone floor slabs and the absence of a single Geonosian on the upper levels, Poggle knew perfectly well that the Hive was inhabited. Even if life flickeredsomewhere in the depths of its catacombs and passageways. The most important secret of Geonosis lived right here.
Long ago, Poggle had come here for the first time…
For him, it had all begun forty years ago. At first, Poggle belonged to the lowest caste of Geonosian society, which earned him the derogatorynickname "Lesser," even though, even in youth, he was taller than most burly warriors. Yet he possessed an intellect unusual for a simple worker, and his appearance differed subtly from that of an ordinary Geonosian. A minor genetic mutation—a slight deviation from the norm—had convinced him he was destined for more. His dream was to rise to the aristocracy. And in time, he began turning that dream into reality. He sought to take the place of Archduke of Geonosis, Hadiss the Vaulted, and organized a large uprising against him, though at first it seemed to have no effect. Hadiss dealt with the rebels easily, executing many, but Poggle managed to survivethe defeat.
Unexpectedly for him, the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious, came to his aid and began secretly financing the revolution. Money, weapons, mercenaries… Over time, the rebels finally managed to seize the archducal seat, overthrowing and capturing Hadiss. Poggle was ceremoniously proclaimed ruler of the Stalgasin hive that governed Geonosis, and Hadiss was executed in the Petranaki Arena. From the bones of the slain Vaulted, Poggle fashioned a cane, which he carried with him ever since.
Later, with the support of the same Sidious and future members of the Confederacy, he becamethe Supreme Ruler of all Geonosians. From that moment, life improved dramatically. Vast factoriesfor the production of battle droids spread across the planet, drawing resources from its surrounding asteroid field, while millions of workers and soldiers traveled to dozens of systems in the Outer Rim, where they installed, constructed and maintained Bactoid's automated factories. This brought tremendous profit to him and to Geonosis as a whole. Engineers—both Geonosian and offworld—worked tirelessly for the Confederacy, creating new models of weapons and warships.
Subsequently, two years ago, when the CIS was finally formed and announced to the galaxy, Poggle easily secured a position on the Separatist Council. The other Hive rulers submitted to his authority, recognizing his right to lead them. To the uninitiated, it might have seemed the pinnacle of power—but it was not so.
The Hives were ruled by queens—the females of the Geonosian species. They were immense living incubators, from whose wombs new eggs emerged every year, from which workers andwarriors, drones and aristocrats hatched. But only a select few knew that true power belonged to the Great Queen—Karina the Great. All other females were her descendants and obeyed her will.
When Poggle first assumed the office of duke, he visited this place and met Karina. She had beengracious to the newly appointed ruler. The meeting left an unforgettable impression on him. The Great Queen was truly ancient and vastlypowerful. From the fragments of information Poggle had managed to obtain, the Queen was over twelve thousand years old…
And now he was hurrying to her again. The corridors through which the archduke descendedwere numerous and labyrinthine, branching endlessly in all directions. The arches were reinforced with the bones of long-extinctcreatures, and in some places the floor was strewn with bone fragments. To an outsider, it might have seemed that reaching the Queen's chambers would be simple—but a stranger would not have taken a single step here. Silent warriors guarded the Queen's rest. They could not be defeated; they could not be killed—for they were already dead…
The great will of the Hive sustained their existence, and even in death these warriors served the Hive and its Great Queen. For shepreferred the dead to the living. That was why the Hive in which she dwelled was nearly abandoned. It was too old, too decrepit. Yet it safeguarded the secret of its depths impeccably.
At last, Poggle entered the arches of the great hall. There, upon a massive throne, sat the Queen, surrounded by her dead attendants. Eggs emerged at regular intervals from the enormous, multi-metre-long womb. The undead workers carefully gathered them and delivered them to nearby incubators. There, the eggs slowly matured—but not all hatched into new Geonosians. Some were used to feed the Queen, while others, once they reached a certain stage of development, were carried through the tangled, kilometers-long underground tunnels to other hives. There, they would hatch into workers and warriors—for the secret of the Great Queen had to remain undiscovered.
"My queen," Poggle said, bowing deeply before her.
"We are interested in the war in which my people are involved. Tell us… everything."
After Poggle recounted all he knew, Karina fell silent in contemplation.
"This war troubles us. The threat to my empire is too great… And then there are those… Jedi… I have watched them for a long time… My children are deprived of a great gift, too weak to wield it… the Force… Even I am not strong enough… yet I sense a threat… Poggle, the will of the Hive is unyielding… Use all your power to protect… Geonosis!"
"We have battle droids, and we will have battleships, but we will need more warriors and workers," the insectoid answered with a respectful chirr.
"I will arrange everything… The queens will awaken from hibernation…"
"It will be difficult for us to resist the Jedi…"
"Hmm…" The Queen placed one of her three-fingered palms beneath her chin. "Find me… a Jedi… I will make him serve… the Will of the Hive… our Will! Now… go!"
Karina waved her claws imperiously.
The duke bowed once more and hurried towardthe exit. It's time to ramp up production tomaximum capacity. I should contact Gunray—we'll need more supplies. The time for economizing is over. The Queen's will is law for every Geonosian.