1. Reborn! ... As a bug?!?

Darkness. Silence. Cold.

'Where am I?' I thought, confused as to where i was. 'Wasnt i killed? Why am i still alive?'

I had to work to suppress my mounting panic.

[Ding! Assimilation Completed! congratulations to host on receiving the Swarm Empress System. Functions include:

*Status

*Crafting system (LOCKED)

*Swarm management subsystem (LOCKED)

*Thrall management (LOCKED)

'What?' I was dumbfounded. '...WAIT A MINUTE!!! AM I A BUG?!?

[Ding! Host is incorrect. Host is sapient insectoid lifeform, known as a [Hive Empress]]

I cant do anything! Do I have to hatch first?

[status]

Name Ashla

[HP: 10] [Midichlorians: 100,000] [Endurance: 5] [Defense: 10] [Perception: 0]

[Dark Side Affinity: 100%]

[Skills]

[Passive Skills]

force sensitive

dark aura (conditional)

hive overmind

Active skills

Hatch

lay egg (drone) LOCKED

lay egg (warrior) LOCKED

lay egg (royal guard) LOCKED

Titles

Daughter of Darkness, Force User,

well, i may as well begin hatching.

Somewhere on Dagobah, an odd looking egg begins to hatch, releasing a powerful wave of dark-side energy.

Elsewhere, on Coruscant, a small green creature snaps out of his meditation, flustered, panicked, and sweating profusely.

"Not good, this is. very bad." the green skinned creature mutters.

"Master Yoda, what is it? what happened?"

Master Yoda suppressed his, panic, then spoke.

"Young Dooku. Born, a great darkness has been. Consume the galaxy, it will, if not stopped, it is."

"Then we must find it and stop it."

crack!

"Yuck... this slime is disgusting..."

[Ding! Updating status... Hatch removed... Flight Rank C added... unlocking Lay Egg Drone... unlocking Skill Tree... hardening Exoskeleton... Defense stat added... Increasing Health...]

Okay... I i guess I should look around for a suitable area for my nest. I look at my body. Im small, and a black chitinous substance covers me from head to toe. I have 3 pairs of long thin wings, like those of an insect, laying flush against my back. *1*

I get up carefully, my limbs weak, as I had just hatched. I take a few hours to learn how to use them, and begin moving around, my mandibles clacking. it is then i realize im starving. i glance around and see a massive tree with large round fruits growing from the trunk. *2*

i gingerly approach, senses alert, wary for anyhing that may attack me. i reach out a clawed limb, to grasp one and gently pull. it doesnt move. i pull harder, and it splits and juice goes flying every where. i think for a moment, then reach for another. this time, i twist as i pull, and the fruit comes off cleanly. i examine it closely, and then take a bite. after ive eaten 10 fuits, i was full, and decided to try and lay some drones.

i was only able to make two eggs before i was starving again. i ate a few more fruits, then slept.

somtime later, i woke, and it was night. i was immediately aware that my drones had hatched. i examine them, and they have three body parts, a head, a middle, and a rear. they had six legs, and two thin way thing on thier heads, above thier compound eyes. *3* they seemed hungry, and i remembered i needed a place to store food, so i had them help me excavate the dirt beneath the tree, to make a small hollow. i had decided to make my nest under the Great Food Tree.

It turns out digging is a bit boring. im several kilometers undergound, and pause, considering how to arrange my nest. i eventually settle for 3 simple rooms, each several meters in diameter. i started digging again. after a while, i had on room that extended from the main tunnel, and two at right angles on each side of that. the main room, which was about a meter longer, was the one i internally decided would be my chambers, while the one on the left as i left, would be my nursery, and the one opposite would be my food storage.

[Ding! Skill Acquired! Beginner Architecture level 1/5 Recieved. Architect Specialization unlocked. See Drone Specialization Tab for further details.]

EH?!? i can earn skills like this? thats amazing. i happily gave my wings a brief buzz. i turned, and realized a minor isssue with my nest. the tunels were too small. i couldnt comfortably fly through them, once i learned how to fly, that is. not to mention, the tunnel would likely collapse under its own weight, as soil is not the sturdiest of building materials...

wait... drone specialization? lets have a look then...

[Drone Class Specializations

*Replete (free)

*Gatherer (free)

*Architect (1,000 nutrients)

*Scout (20,000 nutrients)

okay, whats a Replete do?

[Ding! A Replete is a living food storage veessel. Due to the unique biology of the Replete, the nutrient syrup will not decay while inside the Replete, thus allowing the hive to store food for later consumption in times of drought or famine. After stimulation, a Replete will regurgitate a small amount of nutrients to another drone, by way of a mouth to mouth process called trophallaxis.]

okay, and the gatherers?

[Ding! Gatherers are a drone variant specializing in cutting apart carcasses as well as climbing and gathering various forms of vegatation, which they then return to the hive with, and will feed to Replete caste variants for storage, if any are available.]

im guessing the archtects would take care of excavating new chambers, as well as the structural integrity of the hive as a whole...

What about the scouts? i highlight the option to gain more information.

[Ding! Scout class variants are designed with weak force abilities which enable them to go virtually undetected by enemy units or hostile creatures, but is not affective against other force users.]

i think i will get the repletes and gatherers first.

[Ding! New abilties unlocked: Mutate Replete, Mutate Gatherer.]