The end of the war had come pretty quickly, all things considered. The hive had actively participated in the fighting only in the last phase, since they’d left it to Lyns before, after their war in Nerlia. It meant that not much had actually changed when Regina returned to the main base around Forest’s Haunt.

Of course, they still needed a lot of soldiers, and the losses the hive had sustained in the war would be dearly felt. Not only did the war with the gnomes continue — and now that the Cernlian civil war was over, they wanted to press their advantage — but there was still Nerlia and the recently taken territory to consider. Regina didn’t want to risk appearing weak by withdrawing too many of her forces, especially given her plans for the future.

When she returned, besides doing her part to replenish the hive’s numbers, she spent a lot of time talking to the commanders. Tim had come back with her and was rising to the occasion of helping her with that, while Ben kept directing the hive’s military as a whole and strategizing for the war against the gnomes.

Now that Cernlia was on their side, more firmly with each passing day, Regina was growing less concerned with hiding the extent of her hive’s capabilities. Anything too flashy would still clearly be seen and reported to her enemies, she was sure, and the gods remained as unknowable (but probably a threat) as ever. But fighting against the Confederation, especially in tunnels, let them fight without too many other people being around to see.

It was why she’d ordered that the hive’s armaments should be expanded. Guns were all well and good, but she focused on larger weapons for now. Cannons and more modern variants. They were largely created with the help of Conjuration magic, which did limit the numbers they could do, but it allowed for more precision than they would be capable of with the local level of technology. And the whole point was that they wouldn’t need thousands of the things. More importantly, while the idea of giving every War Drone a rifle sounded good in theory, she seriously doubted its practical implementation. They were still non-sapient drones, after all. Guns might be easier to learn to shoot well than bows and arrows, but they still needed training. And maintenance. Definitely more than their own blade-arms.

Still, Regina asked Tia to run some tests with Swarm Drones of various levels and Classes and see how well they could be taught to disassemble and clean a gun. There was no point in not at least exploring the possibility, after all. Besides, it might be amusing to watch. And perhaps help Tia and her people to design the things better.

At least it was clear, early on, that Swarm Drones would be capable of fine motor control and of using even some rather complicated weapons when they were being directly controlled by a sapient drone. That could be rather useful, even if the hive’s limited population of actual sapient people was a problem. They were needed for everything, from administration in the new territories to their building projects to the war.

The hive had been recruiting humans for a while now, and reluctantly, they stepped up their efforts now. Green and his companions were doing a good job in administering the regions in Nerlia and keeping their economy afloat, so Regina let them have more freedom to work. There were also people they had recruited to work with the hive, usually in subordinate positions. They helped in the workshops and forges they had set up, as well as with the infrastructure. Not only was it useful in providing local expertise and ideas from a different perspective, she knew it would ultimately help their integration. They started as helpers, but at least some would necessarily work their way up. That was as Regina intended.

She still didn’t think levying human troops would be a good idea, and their population wasn’t large enough for that to really be worth it, anyway. The war remained in the hands of the Hivekind. And the Delvers, some of whom were already going south to assist her troops in the fight against the gnomes.

Regina was considering asking for more help from Cernlia, in terms of personnel or at least recruitment rights. She held off for now, though. Kiara needed the people she had to run her country, and it wouldn’t be a good long-term solution. Still, there were a few things she could do.

Janis had come back with her, even though Regina didn’t need to be psychic to tell that she didn’t like leaving Kiara. But with a Winged Drone Mount, she would be able to visit relatively easily. Just a few days after their return, Regina gave in to her request and sent her back with a task to fulfill.

When Janis arrived at Cera, she and the handful of other flying drones with her circled once above the city before she set down in front of the royal palace. Regina watched as they dismounted, Gale pulling down the other person who’d been riding a mount alongside Janis. He pushed him to walk behind Janis as she entered the palace and strode confidently through its halls.

Kiara had clearly been informed of their arrival and received them in a semi-private audience room with only a few other people present. June was absent, Regina noted, and quickly searched for her mind in the city, but didn’t find her. Most likely, she was gone on a mission for Kiara, to help stabilize the country under her rule.

“Lady Janis,” Kiara greeted her with a warm smile, before her gaze flicked to the man escorted in beside her in shackles.

“Queen Kiara,” Janis returned with a smile of her own. “I bring a gift from the Hive Queen.”

Kiara cocked her head. “Zephyr?” Her tone was slightly dubious, as she examined the Thaumaturge.

“We are willing to release him, provided he swears loyalty to you and enters your service,” Janis explained.

Derrek Zephyr inclined his head slightly. He had come calmly without putting up a fight, since Janis had explained their intentions. I guess he was never deeply loyal to his king, Regina reflected. With the transition of power in Cernlia, it only made sense for him to come and work for the new queen. He clearly knew it was the best he could hope for.

"Alright, then,” Kiara said with a slight smile. “I would appreciate it. Are you prepared to do this, Sir Zephyr?”

The man grimaced slightly, probably at the address, but bowed to his new queen. “I am, Your Majesty.”

Janis stayed around to listen to the vows being said, although at this point, both she and Regina had heard them several times, and then stepped closer to Kiara. The queen dismissed the mage with the promise to have his old rooms made ready for him if possible.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“How have you been?” she finally asked Janis, quietly so the rest of the people in the room couldn’t hear. At Kiara’s glance, they started shuffling off.

“Quite well. It’s busy at the Hive, like always. And you, love?”

Kiara hesitated and raised an eyebrow. “Love?”

“Don’t like it? How about sweetheart? Darling? Honey? Cutie-pie? Sweetie? Baby? Sugarplums?” How did she even hear of half of those? Regina wondered. Galatea’s influence, or have embarrassing pet names remained consistent through the ages?

Her girlfriend laughed and kissed her cheek. “No, that’s fine. Love.”

Janis grinned at her and slowly draped an arm across her shoulder, before pulling her closer. Regina started to withdraw, to leave the two lovebirds their privacy, but hesitated when she sensed Janis’ mood turn serious as she tensed slightly.

“Things have been going well for us, too. All of Cernlia is under control now, and I’m confident we’ll last through the winter without any famine.” Kiara pulled back a little and looked at Janis. “Is something up, through?”

Janis looked down, feeling a bit embarrassed, and shrugged. “It occurred to me that I may have forgotten to mention something important.”

“Oh? Do tell.”

“In my defense, I thought it was best to talk to you in person. And Regina had us depart rather quickly last week, so I didn’t get the chance to mention it. And I wasn’t sure how to bring it up, since it might change the dynamics of our relationship, but on the other hand it really shouldn’t.”

Kiara frowned. “Now you’ve made me curious. Are you betrothed? Or think I am?”

“Well, no — you aren’t, are you?” Regina could feel the sudden spike of anxiety Janis felt.

Clearly, Kiara regarded things a bit differently. She probably expected to have to marry a man and have children out of duty, but without having to spend a lot of time with him. It wasn’t uncommon to effectively live separate lives, after all, and as a queen regnant, she wouldn’t be beholden to her husband. But Janis, Regina could tell, would dislike the idea of her lover sleeping with someone else even just a few times for dynastic purposes. Maybe she’s been too infected by the Hive and the cultural norms we brought. From me, and maybe Galatea, I guess. None of the Hivekind were in relationships, of course, but they did come up when talking about events and society, and there were a lot of subtle assumptions carried on by any culture. On the other hand, love marriages were probably more common among the commoners and especially groups like adventurers, including Janis’ parents. That would lead to different expectations as well, so that might be all.

“No. Don’t worry,” Kiara answered with a faint smile. “I am not in any hurry in that regard.” She paused, looking at Janis searchingly, before clearly deciding to move on. “What was it you wanted to mention, though?”

“Well, let’s just say I was afraid everyone would know because the last name the System showed for me would change.” Janis scratched at her cheek. “It still might, once it’s official and public, I suppose.”

“Why would it change? You’re a member of the Starlit Hive still. To what would it even change?”

“Von Woltan, actually.”

Kiara just stared at her for a moment. “You mean, Regina’s real name? Wait, did she adopt you?”

“Yes, actually.” Janis mock-bowed. “You’re looking at the designated heir of Regina’s little statecraft project.”

Regina hmm’d indignantly, but didn’t interrupt Janis. Kiara just stared for a moment, before she shook her head and started chuckling. “Well. That is something I would have wanted you to tell me in a timely manner, not a week later.”

Janis grinned. “Sorry.” Then she turned serious. “You’re not upset about it?”

“No. I will not let you go that easily, love. Although you’re right. It is going to change our circumstances. I suppose I will have to get used to the thought of being your mistress instead of the reverse.”

Janis laughed. When she saw Kiara’s look, she shook her head and smiled. “That’s close to something Regina said. I only just understood it.” Then she reached out to Regina psychically. And could you give us some privacy? I think you saw Kiara’s immediate reaction to the news, that should be enough.

Of course.

Regina withdrew, feeling a bit guilty that she’d been eavesdropping. But Janis was right, she had wanted to know how Kiara reacted. It was kind of important.

She had only just started to consider what she should do next when she was interrupted by a System notification. Feeling a bit of trepidation, Regina looked at it.

You have leveled up

Finally. And that meant …

Regina grinned. She took a deep breath, glancing around her room to make sure she had privacy, before she opened the next screen.

Frequent use and diligent training have improved your mastery of your Class Skills. After reaching level 60, further improvements may manifest themselves. Your sapient Hive drones may freely communicate with Hive members and foreign minds with psychic abilities, so long as they are in range. Your Swarm Drones will more easily communicate with each other and will be more sensitive to instructions left in the psychic link but not directly transmitted to their minds. The number of foreign creatures you may induct into your Hive using Infect has risen from 8 to 16. The baseline Experience gain is unchanged. The mana required for your Drone Breeders to hatch eggs has been slightly reduced. When a Swarm Drone reaches a new Tier, you may influence or direct its Evolution, if it is close by. They will be primarily responsible for choosing a new Class once they have reached sapience, although you may influence their choice by other means.

Regina read through the list of perks the System had given her carefully, then read through it again just to be sure she hadn’t missed anything. Then she leaned back and stared at the ceiling, thinking about it. She couldn’t help but smile, though.

It was pretty good. She was a bit disappointed that Janis and any others she would Infect in the future didn’t get even more Experience, but they already had a twenty-five percent boost, it was pretty ridiculous to ask for more. The limit doubling was unsurprising. Maybe she’d really have to start filling those slots now.

The reduced mana requirement for Drone Breeders, which would lead to them producing more eggs, was possibly the change that would have the biggest effect. Most of her hive’s numbers came from them, it would be a significant impact, depending on what ‘slightly’ meant.

The prospect of guiding Swarm Drones’ Evolution was also great, although it would also depend on the details. There were a few rare Classes that she would really like to have more of, and this seemed like it would help. She’d still have to help drones actually qualify for those Classes, presumably, but at least she could ensure the Class would then actually be chosen. It would also let her tailor the hive’s forces better to whatever challenge they currently faced.

For the first part, she was unsure how much had really changed. Her drones could already communicate with each other over the psychic link. Now it seemed like the sapient drones could talk to Madris, which she supposed was good, but would it really matter? She was looking forward to seeing if the Swarm Drones’ coordination was even further improved, though.

Regina cracked her neck, then decided to take a break and get something to drink. She’d earned it.

She was in the fourth Tier now, and her sapient drones would soon follow, getting to choose new Classes. The hive was taking a step forward.