Consider the Hive Mind (Fanfic, One-Shot)
Jul 2, 2019 15:55:28 GMT
barbedsparky, Hive Bahamut, and 1 more like this
Post by goldtalos on Jul 2, 2019 15:55:28 GMT
Consider the Hive Mind.
Very few do. Or, at least, few do seriously for any length of time. In some senses, very few can. It’s natural, as a human to glance towards the Hive Mind, and consider it simply a human mind writ large. It’s simple to take it, to examine it, and to regard it as something which can be understood easily, then box it away and not think about it again.
Some, those in power perhaps, would urge you not to think about it at all. They would tell you that it is not the want of humans to understand Xenos. That this way lies suffering and damnation.
But we’re not worried about that, are we?
So let’s consider the Hive Mind.
At it’s base, the Hive Mind is a dizzyingly complex set of concepts and thoughts; a pulsing, buzzing world of mental projections, of considerations, and alien desires. You have to understand, the Hive Mind is not one thing. It is no central network, from which it can be attacked or defeated. The Hive Mind is in the air, in the flesh, in the very blood. The Tyranids are the Hive Mind, the Hive Mind is the Tyranids. The two are one and the same. Understand this, truly, or else you will never be able to progress.
Every Ripper that uses its body to shield a more important creature is the Hive Mind. Every massive, hulking monster as it tears its way through a battle tank is the Hive Mind. Every Tyranid, great or small, is part of the Hive Mind and – and here is the trick – in spite of what you might think, the Hive Mind is not a tyrant. It is not a remorseless dictator. You might look, for example, at a gaunt or a Ripper, and think of it as a disposable tool, and yes, that is what it is.
But that is not all that it is.
The Hive Mind is in every Tyranid. Sometimes in a small way, sometimes in a large way. But always present. Always lurking, watching from the back of their brain, beyond their instinctive drive to battle, beyond the pain of their wounds, beyond the hunger of their bodies, the Hive Mind watches. It is what binds their whole race, and each and every one of them is connected to it, and through it, to each other.
Think of it! Consider it!
What is the greatest weakness of mankind? What is the thing which has hurt us again and again? Confusion! Insubordination! Misunderstanding and betrayal!
But for the Hive Mind, there is no confusion. Each creature knows its place. Each creature knows what is expected of it, and all its fellows know in turn what it will do. Through the Hive Mind, there is understanding, and where there is understanding, there is trust.
What am I saying?
Well, let me put it this way.
There is more trust between a brood of Genestealers than between a whole regiment of the Imperial Guard. The loyalty of a swarm of Rippers is great than that of a whole chapter of Space Marines. To the Tyranids, there is no betrayal, for where one falls, one can rise again. The Hive Mind devours, and it consumes. But it also preserves and creates! They say that the minds of lesser creatures… of rippers and gaunts and other warriors of the hive fleets are not preserved, but I do not believe that is the case. There is room in the Hive Mind for all. When one dies, they do so knowing that they will return. When one of them is asked to cast its life aside, it does so gladly, because it knows that its sacrifice will be repaid.
This, the gift of the hive mind. Communication, understanding. No Tyranid will ever stand alone. No Tyranid will ever be abandoned by its comrades. No matter how many are lost; no matter how much damage is done, the Hive Mind endures, and where the Hive Mind endures, all who have been touched by it are likewise preserved.
The Hive Mind is ancient. From the dawning of the first Tyranid life, to the setting of the last, it will exist, and has existed. For all of that time, it had led, and grown, and evolved. Do you not see? Do you not understand? The Imperium doesn’t matter. Chaos doesn’t matter. What are these fickle things in the face of time itself? Up against a creature which cannot bow, which does not bend, and cannot break, what can they do but fold and be consumed?
The Imperium would tell you that it is strong. That it can repel the Tyranids, but let us be honest. The Imperium is dead! The Emperor is gone! Nothing remains of that golden dream! It’s the twitching of a corpse that does not yet know the life has drained from it.
And the Chaos Gods? What are they but parasites? Suckling on the misery they create, they exist merely to perpetuate their own causes. They are self-serving, and ultimately, self-defeating.
The Hive Mind will endure them both. It will outlast them, and – as the last flickering embers of Terra burn away, as the Eye of Terror writhes and closes, the Hive Fleets shall fly ever onwards, to new worlds, new galaxies.
You have to know the truth. You who have fought for so long in the armies of the Imperium. You who have led, who have bled, and who have lost in the name of the Emperor. Tell me now, in this place, do you honestly think that it was worth it? Can you look back at the allies slain, at the friends lost, at the people betrayed, and tell me that you are glad to serve such a corrupt system?
There is another way, you know. A better way. I can see you reaching for your gun, I can see the realization in your eyes.
Too late, captain. My brothers are here. My family. Do you hear them crawling through the vents? Do you hear them tearing at the door? It’s locked, but that won’t stop them. Genestealers can tear through hull metal, did you really expect a simple door would slow them?
Oh please, don’t shoot. Not that I am worried about them, you understand. More about you, actually.
You see, I don’t want you to die here. I think that there is something in you. A glimmer of potential, a chance for something more. You’ve listened to my words, you see. Do you know how few people do? Do you know how many just start shouting, or shooting, or even running? Most would have already.
And they would have died for it too.
But you… you stand there, your hand on your pistol, but I can see the look in your eyes. I can sense your loss, your anger, your confusion.
What I said… about the Imperium, it rings a bell, doesn’t it? It’s corrupt, it’s twisted, and it’s doomed. You know this. You’ve always known this, deep down. I am just speaking the words you wish you could.
So now is your chance. Now you can escape. Take my hand. Join my family. You don’t need to stand apart, you don’t need to be alone. Work with us, become one of us, and one day, you too can be part of the Hive Mind.
It’s better than slaving away for the rest of your life, surely? For people who don’t care, to protect a world that doesn’t love you, all in the name of an emperor who died long ago.
Let’s face the facts, captain. You were abandoned a long time ago.
But you can end it all. You can find new love, acceptance, and friendship. You can find kin you never knew you had, enter a family with bonds so much stronger than anything you ever expected. You can find a new world, and let your old self die. Work towards something that matters, and give your life true meaning at last.
You can do all of these things. You know you can.
All you have to do is take my hand.
All you have to say is ''yes''.
Very few do. Or, at least, few do seriously for any length of time. In some senses, very few can. It’s natural, as a human to glance towards the Hive Mind, and consider it simply a human mind writ large. It’s simple to take it, to examine it, and to regard it as something which can be understood easily, then box it away and not think about it again.
Some, those in power perhaps, would urge you not to think about it at all. They would tell you that it is not the want of humans to understand Xenos. That this way lies suffering and damnation.
But we’re not worried about that, are we?
So let’s consider the Hive Mind.
At it’s base, the Hive Mind is a dizzyingly complex set of concepts and thoughts; a pulsing, buzzing world of mental projections, of considerations, and alien desires. You have to understand, the Hive Mind is not one thing. It is no central network, from which it can be attacked or defeated. The Hive Mind is in the air, in the flesh, in the very blood. The Tyranids are the Hive Mind, the Hive Mind is the Tyranids. The two are one and the same. Understand this, truly, or else you will never be able to progress.
Every Ripper that uses its body to shield a more important creature is the Hive Mind. Every massive, hulking monster as it tears its way through a battle tank is the Hive Mind. Every Tyranid, great or small, is part of the Hive Mind and – and here is the trick – in spite of what you might think, the Hive Mind is not a tyrant. It is not a remorseless dictator. You might look, for example, at a gaunt or a Ripper, and think of it as a disposable tool, and yes, that is what it is.
But that is not all that it is.
The Hive Mind is in every Tyranid. Sometimes in a small way, sometimes in a large way. But always present. Always lurking, watching from the back of their brain, beyond their instinctive drive to battle, beyond the pain of their wounds, beyond the hunger of their bodies, the Hive Mind watches. It is what binds their whole race, and each and every one of them is connected to it, and through it, to each other.
Think of it! Consider it!
What is the greatest weakness of mankind? What is the thing which has hurt us again and again? Confusion! Insubordination! Misunderstanding and betrayal!
But for the Hive Mind, there is no confusion. Each creature knows its place. Each creature knows what is expected of it, and all its fellows know in turn what it will do. Through the Hive Mind, there is understanding, and where there is understanding, there is trust.
What am I saying?
Well, let me put it this way.
There is more trust between a brood of Genestealers than between a whole regiment of the Imperial Guard. The loyalty of a swarm of Rippers is great than that of a whole chapter of Space Marines. To the Tyranids, there is no betrayal, for where one falls, one can rise again. The Hive Mind devours, and it consumes. But it also preserves and creates! They say that the minds of lesser creatures… of rippers and gaunts and other warriors of the hive fleets are not preserved, but I do not believe that is the case. There is room in the Hive Mind for all. When one dies, they do so knowing that they will return. When one of them is asked to cast its life aside, it does so gladly, because it knows that its sacrifice will be repaid.
This, the gift of the hive mind. Communication, understanding. No Tyranid will ever stand alone. No Tyranid will ever be abandoned by its comrades. No matter how many are lost; no matter how much damage is done, the Hive Mind endures, and where the Hive Mind endures, all who have been touched by it are likewise preserved.
The Hive Mind is ancient. From the dawning of the first Tyranid life, to the setting of the last, it will exist, and has existed. For all of that time, it had led, and grown, and evolved. Do you not see? Do you not understand? The Imperium doesn’t matter. Chaos doesn’t matter. What are these fickle things in the face of time itself? Up against a creature which cannot bow, which does not bend, and cannot break, what can they do but fold and be consumed?
The Imperium would tell you that it is strong. That it can repel the Tyranids, but let us be honest. The Imperium is dead! The Emperor is gone! Nothing remains of that golden dream! It’s the twitching of a corpse that does not yet know the life has drained from it.
And the Chaos Gods? What are they but parasites? Suckling on the misery they create, they exist merely to perpetuate their own causes. They are self-serving, and ultimately, self-defeating.
The Hive Mind will endure them both. It will outlast them, and – as the last flickering embers of Terra burn away, as the Eye of Terror writhes and closes, the Hive Fleets shall fly ever onwards, to new worlds, new galaxies.
You have to know the truth. You who have fought for so long in the armies of the Imperium. You who have led, who have bled, and who have lost in the name of the Emperor. Tell me now, in this place, do you honestly think that it was worth it? Can you look back at the allies slain, at the friends lost, at the people betrayed, and tell me that you are glad to serve such a corrupt system?
There is another way, you know. A better way. I can see you reaching for your gun, I can see the realization in your eyes.
Too late, captain. My brothers are here. My family. Do you hear them crawling through the vents? Do you hear them tearing at the door? It’s locked, but that won’t stop them. Genestealers can tear through hull metal, did you really expect a simple door would slow them?
Oh please, don’t shoot. Not that I am worried about them, you understand. More about you, actually.
You see, I don’t want you to die here. I think that there is something in you. A glimmer of potential, a chance for something more. You’ve listened to my words, you see. Do you know how few people do? Do you know how many just start shouting, or shooting, or even running? Most would have already.
And they would have died for it too.
But you… you stand there, your hand on your pistol, but I can see the look in your eyes. I can sense your loss, your anger, your confusion.
What I said… about the Imperium, it rings a bell, doesn’t it? It’s corrupt, it’s twisted, and it’s doomed. You know this. You’ve always known this, deep down. I am just speaking the words you wish you could.
So now is your chance. Now you can escape. Take my hand. Join my family. You don’t need to stand apart, you don’t need to be alone. Work with us, become one of us, and one day, you too can be part of the Hive Mind.
It’s better than slaving away for the rest of your life, surely? For people who don’t care, to protect a world that doesn’t love you, all in the name of an emperor who died long ago.
Let’s face the facts, captain. You were abandoned a long time ago.
But you can end it all. You can find new love, acceptance, and friendship. You can find kin you never knew you had, enter a family with bonds so much stronger than anything you ever expected. You can find a new world, and let your old self die. Work towards something that matters, and give your life true meaning at last.
You can do all of these things. You know you can.
All you have to do is take my hand.
So what is it, captain? What are you going to do?
For the first time in a long time... perhaps even for the first time in your life, the choice is purely your own. No one is commanding you, no one is ordering you. Make your choice! Make the choice you want to make.
One word, captain.
All you have to say is ''yes''.
Quick writing exercise I did. Figured it might be worth posting. Wanted to do something a little different from the perspective of the sort of ideology a genestealer cult might form. No single specific cult. Honestly, I just rolled with what I felt worked well.
Hope you all enjoyed it.
