Now that they were aware the Esemen might be entering the war — well, more aware than before — it was clear the hive couldn’t afford to waste any time. Regina spent more time consulting with Ben than she had at any other point during this war, trying to prepare what they could. They had a lot to coordinate, anyway.

The southern front was still quiet. The gnomes were clearly building up their defenses and still content to just sit behind them. Regina knew it was going to be a headache eventually, every day they let pass would only make things harder in the end. They just couldn’t afford to prioritize it at the moment.

The main hotspot right now was Whitor’s earldom, where the combined army of the Nerlian and Cernlian kings was still moving through. A lot slower than they’d intended, or so Regina hoped. Still, the hive hadn’t completely stopped them. They were still skirmishing with warbands mostly comprised of hive drones and preparing for the next major battle.

Marquis Lyns’ army had started moving as well, but they were still considerably behind their enemies. It meant the allied kings couldn’t afford to just sit around, but they didn’t pose an immediate danger. She wasn’t surprised about that, Lyns’ soldiers had been ground down pretty badly before this turn of events.

Finally, there was the war in Nerlia itself. It was arguably the most complicated and, at the same time, the most challenging theater. Not because the hive faced too much danger, at least not outright — but there was a lot of ground to cover, and challenges beyond just fighting people on the battlefield.

Regina still sent most of her sapient drones, those who could be spared from the hive’s own territory, there. She was even preparing to finally recall Tim. There was a lot of, basically, dealing with people involved, which Swarm Drones were just about the worst at. It would have been a lot easier if she’d been content to just go monstrous invaders on the Nerlians, but Regina actually wanted to deal with them. Besides, she had standards. At this point, she was considering just getting people from Lyns and Whitor. They didn’t even need to be fighters, the hive could handle that part. She was already recruiting people from the hive’s own territory, basically Neralt’s demesne, as an outreach team. Everyone else insisted on calling them lackeys or similar, less flattering words.

Clearly, Regina needed to organize a course on politically correct expression sometime. Maybe when the gods descend to the earth, she thought with a snort. Although, given her luck, that might just happen. Then again, I can’t kick their teeth in if they hide away.

Regina shook her head and sighed. She was aware that she would probably never actually be up for a confrontation with the gods. That wasn’t really what was important, she’d decided. Or, well, it was, but so was realism. What she needed to do was what she actually could and needed to do here on Earth. As satisfying as the mental image of punching Deirianon might be, it would be much more of an actual victory to turn things around out here and break that fucking stalemate he’d enforced on the world. And sure, she was trying a very blunt approach, but what else could she do — she had to work with what she had, and if all you have is a hammer … then you’d better be comfortable at least pretending to be a blunt instrument.

Not that she was going to rely on blunt instruments. They were good for getting the ball rolling, though, and there were many kinds of force.

Right now, the Nerlians were clearly not sure how to deal with the hive. Every lord remaining in their path was scrambling to raise what troops they could and gathering them at several locations. They had to be in contact with the Nerlian army as well, although Regina hadn’t found any proof of how they were doing it yet. Probably more magic she didn’t know. The elves had passed along some info that suggested they were also trying to hire mercenaries, although there would be slim pickings. It implied the Nerlians had at least a little gold to spare, though, or were willing to go into debt. That was useful information.

Regina really wished she could just sort everything out with diplomacy. However, it was clear she just didn’t have the capability for it. That she had to rely on the elves for occasional bits of information just made that clearer. She had very good surveillance capability when it came to things like troop movements of the enemy armies, but she lacked anything like an actual intelligence apparatus. Regina just didn’t have a sense of how the Nerlian court worked or how it was reacting, or the means to get that. She didn’t even know how she might go about it. Hire spies? Well, I could offer them gold, of course. But they’d have to be willing to deal with us first. Having drones approach people trying to bribe them isn’t likely to work out very well.

Then again, maybe she could just do it with more of a degree of separation, Regina considered. Neralt or some of his men could help, or even Lyns’ or Whitor’s people. They just needed someone to look for prospects and ascertain if they were reliable and would be willing to go into Nerlia to gather information, which seemed like the main problem. If they did get something started, though … it could help a lot, especially with the Esemen probably coming to join this giant mess.

The hive also needed diplomats. They couldn’t just rely on Lyns or Whitor to handle that kind of thing. Here, Regina felt more confident. Ray was still playing ambassador to the elves and doing very well at it. At some point, she might have to recall him to take up a more difficult mission and send someone else to the forest to get some experience in a diplomatic posting. In general, drones should be more suitable for this role, since outright shunning representatives of hers out of racism wouldn’t be a very good diplomatic move. Of course, that assumed she could get anyone to the negotiating table, which would probably have to wait a while, but she wasn’t too worried about it.

She clearly wasn’t the only person to think along these lines, though. Perhaps Regina shouldn’t have been so surprised when Ira told her about another recent development. Apparently, the drones on the ground had preferred to ask her first, and she interrupted Regina just as she was about to dive back into the psychic link to check on the army’s progress after a trip to the bathroom and the hatchery.

“Who did you say that guy was?” she asked, frowning.

“A merchant, I’m guessing, my Queen,” Ira reported. “Probably one dealing in fabric and clothing, by what our people picked up. He’s just the spokesperson of a small group, though. A delegation, or that’s what they want us to think. And while he’s asked to speak to you, I’m pretty sure that was just to show where he stood and they’re actually willing to settle for anyone representing the hive.”

Regina thought silently for a moment. “Well, when concerned people try to make their grievances heard, I can’t just ignore them, can I? Get me everything we know about this group, then I’ll see what they have to say.”

Ira did as she said, roping in a few Keepers so they could put together impressions from various drones. Regina almost got a headache from trying to assimilate that information, but she pushed past it and a picture started to emerge. This wasn’t the first time people from settlements they’d started to occupy wanted to talk to what passed for the hive’s authorities, of course. What made this different was that they appeared to be trying to speak for everyone in the affected area. This wasn’t just a few disgruntled traders, it was a serious gathering of people representing their, the locals’, interests. There was even a farmer in the group. Clearly one who did pretty well for himself by the standards of a medieval peasant, but still. They probably had some kind of plan beyond just lodging a few complaints, too.

By the time Regina had familiarized herself with the situation and decided on how much to involve herself, Ada was already on her way. She’d happened to be relatively close, and as the hive’s most senior scout and a senior member of what passed for its general staff, she had the status to represent them. The humans would believe she could speak for the hive even if Regina didn’t let on that she was listening in and using Ada as a mouthpiece.

The supposed delegation was currently waiting in what she gathered was some kind of merchants’ guildhall in one of the biggest towns in the region. The hive was present in force here, with drones posted at strategic locations and occasionally patrolling through or around the town, although they let everyone go about their business. Trade beyond the immediate vicinity had pretty much crashed, though, which meant the building was free to use.

Ada arrived on a flying drone, accompanied by a few Winged Drones, with a few War Drones Regina had called together on the ground to serve as an escort. She smiled as Regina settled behind her eyes, sharing what she saw and heard directly, and went to greet the people waiting for them. Her first impression was that they seemed a bit nervous. Regina supposed that was understandable. Only a few of them had sat down, leaving empty chairs, while others stood and talked in low voices. They immediately stopped and turned once Ada entered the room, while the apparent leader took a step forward.

Lucien Green — Level 43 Merchant Factor

“Greetings!” he smiled. “Lady … Ada, is it? Thank you for taking the time to meet with us. I must apologize for my ignorance, but is there a particular title or address we should be using? I wouldn’t wish to offend.”

Ada smiled and held out her hand for a handshake. “Not at all, and no, there isn’t. Pleased to meet you, Mister Green. Gentlemen.” She nodded at the others. “The Hive is always happy to listen.”

There were a few more handshakes, and then, at Ada’s prodding, everyone sat down. Regina took the opportunity to look at and try to assess them. They were all men, not particularly surprising given the patriarchal society, and all looked to be at least in their thirties. There was some variety in their clothing, but she wasn’t familiar enough with the locals to read much into it, even assuming there was any meaning to find.

“We are relieved to hear that, Miss,” one of the others spoke up, an older man who was probably an artisan of some kind. “Many in our communities are … concerned, and we thought setting out to clarify some things might help to keep the peace.”

Green shot him a look at the last word, and the man winced after a moment, clearly realizing his unfortunate choice of words.

“That’s understandable,” Ada said before they got further into it. “We certainly don’t want to disquiet the good people of this country, although we realize that, under the circumstances, such things are only to be expected. If I can assure you and your communities that the Hive means no harm, I’ll consider that to be time well spent.”

Regina sent her a feeling of approval, making a mental note that Ada seemed to have more of a hand for diplomacy than she’d realized. That was pretty eloquent, under the circumstances.

“We appreciate that,” Green said earnestly. “In that spirit, may I please ask how your Hive envisions the future?”

They’re asking how long we intend to stay, Ada commented. What should I say, my Queen?

Regina hesitated. Don’t give them a firm answer on that point, she finally instructed. Say something about respecting their people and ensuring this war will not affect them negatively any more than necessary, that kind of thing. The rest depends on how the war develops.

Ada gave no outward sign but smoothly started answering the question by mentioning the inherent unpredictability of war, and then continued giving them assurances in the vein Regina had suggested.

Of course, it wasn’t that easy. Green subtly pressed for more specific answers, and with Regina’s permission, Ada implied that they would be staying for a while, and that the final fate of the region wasn’t settled yet. Regina watched as the visitors exchanged glances at that answer, but none of them seemed very surprised.

“Thank you, my lady,” Green finally said. “With that settled, we have several minor requests to put before the Starlit Hive. May I proceed?”

“Please do.”

Regina listened as they started bringing up a list of minor grievances and petitions. Most of them were pretty reasonable, she had to admit. Organizing farmers and day laborers, getting public announcements of rules the occupation would put into place, assurances of safety for temples and some kinds of buildings. It wasn’t entirely selfless, as he also requested that ‘all necessary effort’ be undertaken to open trade routes and see if accommodations could be reached with the noble-controlled parts of Nerlia.

The most surprising part, for her, was that he actually requested the hive take control of the granaries and handle the distribution of food to the populace. That’s a pretty big sign of trust, she considered, unless - he may be afraid of looters. Securing the food supply is obviously important. Maybe he even figured we were going to get around to it anyway.

To be fair, the hive had already taken control of a number of granaries, and an assessment of civilian supplies had been in the works. They just didn’t have enough sapient drones to do everything that needed doing, so administrative matters often took a backseat. Regina narrowed her eyes as she realized this might be why he had come here. She quickly shared her thoughts with Ada.

“Your petitions are reasonable, and although I will have to consult with my superiors, you may expect most of them to be granted,” Ada replied. “I will implement several at once on my own authority.” Then she paused. “In fact, I have to admit I am pleasantly surprised, Mister Green. This shows … surprising willingness to work with us.”

He smiled pleasantly. That guy had definitely made dealing with people the core of his business, Regina reflected. “You have been nothing but courteous and have treated us with respect, Lady Ada,” he replied. “In fact, I daresay it will be hard to find examples of foreign invaders as considerate in history. I simply desire to make sure our affairs are settled and that people may continue to earn honest livings in my home.”

“And you’re willing to work with us to make sure things run smoothly,” Ada said. She cocked her head. “Now, I may be presuming too much, but you might also be showing your competence and ability to help.”

“Indeed, Lady Ada!” He smiled again. “If I can be of service - not just to you, but to the citizens of my home - I will happily do what I can.”

Far be it from me to throw around words like ‘collaborator’… Regina thought drily. But this can be useful. I’m just not sure we can trust him, Ada.

“Your offer is noted and appreciated,” Ada said mildly. “This is another point my superiors will have to deliberate, as I’m sure you understand.”

“Of course, I await their word eagerly. That said, we have heard fascinating things from our neighbors in Cernlia; especially in Lord Neralt’s domain, as it happens. I would like to humbly request that you keep us in mind for any future, shall we say, technological updates.”

Ada paused, just regarding him in silence for a moment. “Noted, Mister Green,” she finally said. “I will get back to you with some answers. You will have to excuse me now, however, as I have duties to attend to.”

Regina kept watching as Ada left, quietly discussing the conversation and considering what to do. She needed locals to work with, so in a way, she didn’t have much choice. They just needed to ensure their safety. And technological updates were going to be tricky.

Even if she very much intended on spreading them.