Biosynth 16 Hatching

It was really no surprise that so few showed up for the hatching of Biosynth 16--and that of those who did show, the majority of them were of xenodragon bloodlines themselves, or otherwise already tied to xenodragons.

There was Proquess, the white drone, and the bulk of her adopted hive, which already included several Destiny-born individuals. There was also Darkess, Destiny-born herself, with a friend who was the mostly brightly-colored xenodragon Schroeder had ever seen, possessing the charming name of "Smuckerss" (with a name like that, you knew he had to be...never mind). Bria Falayso, Shadowed Leaf, and Keighlai Forestsong were the only humanoid candidates with no pre-existing ties to the species, unless you counted Keighlai's fascination with a extremely similar species of her homeworld that were called "demis".

And then there was the Destiny's most noted (mortal) candidate to date: Star City's Minister of Security himself, Gavin Vance. The man had been repeatedly in the public eye due to his astounding aptitude for bonding xenodragons of the burster variety, which had once caused him a great deal of grief, but which he had recently accepted and realized he enjoyed. The eight xenodragon bursters who lurked nearby him, hissing restlessly at Proquess's "hive", had all been accidental bonds. This was the first time the man was actually attempting to bond on purpose.

But all the candidates, and those who had come to fill the audience and spectate, got a surprise when they arrived in Alpha Bay. The hulking red xenoking Ninjouzata, whose genetics had rather unwittingly been the basis for a breed much kinder than him and his predecessors, was entirely absent. Instead, another creature entirely presided over the Bay, though it had never been seen whenever the Bay had had pre-hatching visitors.

It was a large xenodragon queen, and she was pure white from her majestically crested head, to the translucent webbings of her wings, to the tip of her long tail. The many fleshy eggs at her feet, supported among the moss by resin, were hers. She alone was a direct descendant of Ninjouzata, the firstborn and only child of the xenoking. Entherass, the hatchling whose picture had advertised the clutch, was her firstborn.

Though her appearance was sleek and alien, intimidating despite her pure color, her mindvoice was kind and gentle when she greeted the candidates. ::Welcome.::

Her name was Tsiasaniess. Her growth had been accelerated by a combination of magic, technology, and time spent in realms of faster time-flow. Then, self-fertilized, she had laid the eggs that would be those adopted out as Biosynth 16. The True White queen's creation had been something of a safeguard, to ensure the generation of D-Strain xenodragons would have someone to cement their mindstream, even if they did not form a hive with her as wild xenodragons would do.

Of course her presence had driven the local yautjadragons absolutely batty, but what could they do?

The nineteen eggs at her feet looked nothing like the sorts of eggs that would have come from Schroeder's labs. They were fleshy things that stood upright on one of their smaller ends, held in place among the moss by resin layered around their bases. They did not hatch by breaking or shattering, but seemed to bloom or unfurl at their tops, four fleshy "petals" that peeled away from their contents.

Thankfully, it was not facehuggers, the spiderlike egg-carriers of the parasitic true species, which crawled out from the slimy insulation inside the eggs. With chirping, squealing cries, only snakelike little hatchlings emerged. Though they had tiny arms and legs pulled to their chests, they did not use them, and moved like snakes as they slithered around in the moss, getting their bearings. Only a handful of the hatchlings flapped tiny, undeveloped wings at the air. In color they were all white and grey, with a cap of a different (and usually bright) color stretching from snout to the base of their necks.

Three of them remained at their mother's feet, but the rest moved out when Tsiasaniess told them, ::Go.::

The bondings were made quick and efficiently--for the most part. Even if their sub-type was new, bonding was as natural to xenodragons as breathing, and the hatchlings all recognized their desired bond (or in a couple of cases, bonds) almost immediately. Literally, it only took seconds for the little xenodragon swarm to all bond off, whether singly, in pairs, in trios, or, in the case of one pleased-looking Minister, a quartet. Then the only thing to be done was for the candidates to feed their new bonds over at the tables where bowls of cube-cut meat awaited them.

::Father would be horrified,:: Tsiasaniess remarked to Dr. Schroeder with amusement, watching her children feed quietly or playfully, but not aggressively or possessively, interacting with their bonds and siblings.

"I would hope so," Schroeder smiled, tipping the queen a wink.

::Now you can go back to worrying about worthwhile clutches,:: came a growled observation.

Schroeder turned towards the Bay door, where the ship's three yautjadragons stood. Samurnde, Chetande, and Osende had lurked outside of the hatching, almost as if hoping something would go wrong. (Well, no, that's exactly what they were doing.)

The doctor could only chuckle. ::Hm, yes,:: he sent back. ::Remind me to make sure they're not as territorial as the first generation was.::

The trio only snorted.