The first thing to do is seal off the Hive from the outside. A small transmitter device is situated and concealed on the edge of the pit to allow the remote detonation of the scuttling charges on the Hiveship; after this is completed, a piece of the Heavy Armor Plating is dug in and set to block the entrance to the Hive. You decide it would be a waste of resources to make a full-out blast door, but nonetheless create a system of cables by which to physically manipulate the "door" should physical exits be required.
The reason
why it is a waste is because the Tech Drones are busy performing integration of Your systems. While You are not the expert at technological pursuits, You nonetheless have a basic knowledge of engineering, fabrication, and other such things that would be expected for a industrialized spacefaring race. Grubs are dispatched to dig heating and vent tunnels designed to provide additional heat for the Flowers of Life while the Tech Drones assemble basic fans and temperature probes.
The next part of the heating system is much trickier - the telemetry computers are re-purposed to serve as a reader and controlling device. Fortunately for the small gathering of Tech Drones, Your Ancestors were forewarned enough to understand that these computers would need to serve multiple purposes. After the parts and wires are installed, the Drones test the jury-rigged system, which starts with a
clickwhirr and causes the heat to flow. As a result of the temperature control, the Hive's temperature changes from "Survivable in the short term" to "Uncomfortable but tolerable."
While this was happening, You ingested the Royal Jelly after tearing off
very small chunks to facilitate the experiment. After feeling the nutrients and essences in Your stomach, You enter the body-trance and guide Your purpose. Your instincts tell You to grow and strengthen Your mandibles to grasp and tear at the soil, for Your carapace to harden, especially about the legs to furrow through the soil, and for the small "hairs" on Your legs to thicken and grow into spiny rakes to move the soil. You envision Your digestive system changing to safely accrue and excrete soil elements. Lastly, You envision Your assorted sensory antennae to become sensitive to seismic vibrations and assorted stimuli. After exiting the body-trance, You are pleased to find that not only are Your changes successful, but that Your carapace is mildly warmer than it was before Adaptation. You sense that Your body has changed reproductive cycles to allow Mining variants of the standard Kai.
The Nurse finishes the nutrient slurry for the L2 Soldier, and moves to work on the Hybrid experiments. It administers a small amount of paralysis toxins to two of the Larvae, while leaving three as regular. After a careful moment of studying an immobile Kai, a groove is cut into the flesh of the back, a miniature dose of Royal Jelly applied to the inside of the wound, and a Dormant Flower of Life implanted. This continues for the remaining four, and after an observation period, two of the mobile Larvae remain alive with the Flowers in a stunted, premature state.
The Pollinators observe the plants, and periodically perform certain dances and make assorted noises of varying frequencies. During this time, the Flowers sway back and forth, their growth increased noticeably - at least an inch taller and several centimeters thicker.
In the meantime, You oversee the mining tunnels with B-caste drones and several Soldiers to move soil. You lead the digging and
carefully dig a tunnel as deep as You dare to allow geothermal heat to seep into the Hive, while Drones periodically split off to search for minerals. In this, You find your attempts to be for naught, although it is getting warmer in the Hive.
Night falls.
Now what?
Fully Independent
1 Queen Kai (B-Caste, Mining-Adapted, Minor Cold Tolerance) (Not Hungry)
Independent
1 Level 3 Nurse Drone (B-Caste) (Not Hungry)
2 Level 2 Navigation Drones (T-Caste) (Not Hungry)
Intelligent
1 L2 Heavy Soldier (S-Caste) (Not Hungry)
8 Drones (T-Caste) (Not Hungry)
4 Soldiers (S-Caste) (Not Hungry)
5 Armored Soldiers (B-Caste) (Not Hungry)
Dependent
6 Pollinators (B-Caste) (Not Hungry)
10 Drones (B-Caste) (Not Hungry)
Unthinking
15 Larvae (B-Caste) (Not Hungry)
2 Grubs (B-Caste) (Full)
2 Hybridized Larvae (B-Caste) (Not Hungry)
80 Fertilized Eggs (B-Caste)
20 Grub Eggs (B-Caste)
Grub ----> Bore Worm
-
Drone ---> Digging Drone
Scout ---> Seismic Scout
Soldier --> Mining Soldier
-
Predator -> Spined Predator
Nurse ----> Spined Nurse
Command-> Spined Commander
Weaponry
1 Queen-Sized Light Energy Machine Gun
4 Ship-Based Point Defense Lasers
5 Soldier-Sized Light Energy Machine Guns
10 EMG Batteries
Armory
3 Drone-Sized EPS
Technology/Utility
1 Badly Damaged Navigation/Telemetry Computer
1 Badly Damaged Stasis Chamber
1 Badly Damaged Nursery
1 Miniature Refinery
1 Biorecycler
1 Internal Combustion Spacecraft Engine
Parts/Resources
7 Large Heavy Armor Plates
9 Units of Universal Spare Parts
1 Unit of Nursery Parts
1 Unit of Stasis Chamber Parts
3 Partially Damaged Xenobiological Samples
2 Xenoflora Samples
Water
Titanium
Gold
Copper
Superalloys
Universal Elemental Supply (Hydrogen, Helium, Oxygen, Neon, Iron, Nitrogen, Silicon, Magnesium, Sulfur)
Iron Spheres
Large Iron Spheres
Scrap Metal
Scrap Plastic
Agriculture
2/3 Container of Fertilizer
1 Bacteria Vat
25 Dormant Flowers
8 Barrels of Refined Pollen Fuel
Dead:
1 Dead L1 Commander (B-Caste) (2 Units of Food)
6 Dead Drones (T-Caste) (6 Units of Food)
1 Dead Pollinator (B-Caste) (1 Unit of Food)
3 Dead Xenobiological Samples (Mammal-Caste) (6 Units of Food)
3 Dead Hybrid Larvae (3/10ths of a Unit of Food)
Food:
3 Dead Flowers of Life (1.5 Units of Food)
Synthetic Food:
0 Units of Synthetic Food
Drones - 1/10 of a Unit of Food
Soldiers - 5/10 of a Unit of Food
Levels 1-4 - A Unit of Food
Predator / Nurse / Commander - 1.5 Units Of Food
Queen - 2 Units of Food / Reabsorb 20 Eggs
Level 5 - 3 Units of Food
Your Nest
Location -
HereVisibility - Extremely Hard To Detect
Heavy Improvised Door
Oversized Insulated Hive Chamber
- Climate Control System
- Fusion Plant
- Computer-Aided Design System
Flower Garden with 10 Immature.2 Flowers of Life
Queen's Chamber with 0 Queen's Flowers
Unsecured Geothermal Bore Hole
-Mining Tunnels
A Hole
- Scuttle Charge Transmitter
[If you want to know the general appearance I have in mind, imagine
this crab and
this wasp combined. Fair warning that you really might not want to imagine that, of course... The Queen is different in the sense of her looking like
this wasp, at least with the leg spikes.
They're almost cute in a horrifying sort of way.]