Below, clumped amongst the looping coils of resin, the shapes of squirming hatchlings could be seen through translucent eggs. Softly at first, the Inyu cemented to the bay's walls began to stir, but as the alien dragon's offspring within them grew restless, they began to struggle and screech with renewed vigor.
Andressaa smiled darkly.
Behind her, she could hear the scuffle of her minion's footsteps.
The xeno-shifter queen sat gracefully in her obsidian throne and looked down over the hatching bay. Crossing chalk-white arms one over the other, her grin grew wider. "It starts..."

"Last Call: Will the Bonders for the clutches of ... Mayonaka ... Sanodie ... Jiora ... Shotgun ... and Gatica, please proceed to the Hatching Bays immediately."

Linaeas snorted as the intercom blared overhead.
"We might as well be calling for an evacuation... Over sixty of these little demons... Sixty! I can't believe it," he grumbled, glancing over at his own xenomorphic bond. At least Lacass' clutch had given them a small glance at what they would be dealing with tonight... But then, the hatchlings would be cross-breeds, so who knew what to expect? Well, short of all hell breaking loose at Star City.

~We'll be fine,~ Taxoness rumbled, his eyeless head swung alertly towards the stirring eggs. The red drone was never one to worry... ~Between the entourage of security guards and their bonds, if anything,~ meaning the hatchlings, of course, ~ becomes a problem, it won't make it five steps. Unless, of course, Star City should spontaneously explode, and if that's the case, there isn't much that can be done in the first place.~ All this said so cheerily that it made Linaeas' teeth ache. Trust a drone...

He sighed, and watched as the mass of candidates filtered into the bay. They were a shady lot, most of them, and it was probably a good thing that the Minister of Security had called in so many guards. If there was to be trouble at this hatching (and Linaeas had no doubt of it!) it was just as likely to come from these sordid bonders as from the hatchlings, themselves!
Another hush fell over the bay as the last of the bonders and sponsors entered the hatching grounds, broken only by the pained wheezing of the entrapped Inyu. And then, as delicate as flower petals opening to some unseen light, the first egg split open. Each quarter of the shell's top folded back gently for the hatchling, and all attention moved to the eggs within the bay.

The first monstrosity to reveal itself to the world was a two-headed dragon with a green hide, but inky black belly plating and wing-webbing. As she oozed out of her shell and onto the hard floor, her xenomorphic heritage became apparent: spines ran along her back, armor-like plating covered her fore and hind limbs, and the top of one head showed signs, already, of growing a long crest.
Candidates and Sponsors alike held their breath as the creature lay motionless along the chitinous secretions that now covered the bay floor. After a moment, a bonder stepped forward in attempt to claim her: a male who appeared basically humoid, save the claws that protruded from his fingertips. Mayonaka tensed and leered over Devil's-lash as he approached her first-hatched child.
As he laid one hand on the xeno's shoulder, the tension dissipated and (mostly nervous) smiles broke out among the candidates. Then, without warning, the dragonet came to life and snatched one of Devil's-lash's legs up in with both of her mouths. As bones snapped and blood flew, the xeno-hydra shook him back and forth before throwing him towards the walls of the bay. With that, she rose and approached the bonders, stalking along the front line, scaring many of them back with growls and snaps. Eventually, she came to the feet of Jirvehnya. The two-headed beast reared up and placed both large paws on the vampire's chest (even as a hatchling, she nearly reached the woman's waist,) and whuffled--her breath already stinking of rotting meat--chestnut hair out of her new bond's face. The vampiress grinned smugly and led the hatchling to the back of the bay, passing Linaeas on they way. Heyna was the name of the extremely violent beast.

The exit of the first pair seemed to be the cue for mass chaos to begin. Eggs folded back or exploded open, depending on heritage, and all kinds of half-breeds rolled, flopped, slunk or stalked away from their shells, towards the crowd of potential bonders. Inyu screamed and thrashed feebly as snake-like bursters exploded from their chests, and the bay was suddenly alive with masses of searching xenomorphs, most of which were as soon looking for a fight or a quick meal, as for a life-mate.

The next bonder to be chosen was also a female. A black-brass dragon--one of the chaos crossbreeds--stalked up to Labyrinth, his glowing red eyes and faintly luminescent brassy fur catching the feeble light of the bay, and gave her the faintest nod as she looked down at him. As they began to make their way to the back of the bay, another hatchling snarled and leapt at the waif-thin figure, but the black-brass male flaired his still damp, furry wings and stared the larger beast down. After that it was fairly easy to carve a path back towards the Archivist. While Labyrinth herself said nothing--couldn't say anything? Taxoness relayed the name of the little dragon to the recorder: Krelotz.

Meanwhile, a xeno-mutt made her way towards the Bonders, marked as different from the one-headed beasts of Mayonaka's lot by silver horns and less evil-looking eyes. This one, a rich blue in colour but marked with with large, black spots, eventually found Mike in the crowd. She snuck up behind him and nudged the back of his leg, and when she was sure she had his attention, slipped back through the bonders, towards the food tables. Blinking with surprise, and with the ease that the mutt seemed to disappear again, Mike passed the Archivist and muttered the name, Cholrinie, before moving off to search for the well hidden dragonet.

Two little bursters met each other and seemed to forge a bond before they even found a proper candidate. They spent a good deal of time slithering about the bay together and weaving through the legs of Bonders. Eventually, though, they returned to the pile of still emptying eggs, dissatisfied. Approaching their parents, the towering Mayonaka and the fearsome Ecothet, the tiny pair looked from one to the other as though they were making a complaint on the assortment of people available. However... as they complained, the little pair began to realize that they'd found what they were looking for in the first place. The single-headed burster, and the smaller of the two, curled up around his hy-hathian father's toes, his tan body and faintly damp slime-coloured carapace contrasting with the purples and reds of the much larger beast. The two headed, black burstling paused for a moment at Ecothet's feet, and then continued upwards, to Atrocity, about whom she curled herself and snapped at with affection. It took a moment for their names to be delivered, for Ecothet had to relay them to Taxoness, who had to relay them to Linaeas (who was already in the thick of it, taking down names of actual bonders), but finally Makot. the slime drone, and Recht, the black warrior, were recorded.

Back amongst the bonders proper, one of Mayonaka's single-headed hatchlings had found her way to Alliana, and had propped herself right at the girl's feet. She didn't seem to notice a little burster slithering up behind the young woman, and before either of them had realized it, the vile little beast had sunk needle-sharp teeth into the back of Ali's knee--and for the size of the thing, it made quite the impression. Alliana screamed at the sudden pain, at being caught so off guard, and the dragonet at her feet leapt up and shrieked in fear and surprise, herself. Before any of the guards could begin to intervene, however, a midnight black, three-headed burstling sprung from between the legs of another candidate, her black tail whipping behind her like an uncoiled spring. The larger burstling landed right on the smaller attacker, and sunk her own teeth into the little vicious beast. Acidic blood sprayed, but seemed to miraculously miss anyone else, and soon the three-header had its sibling-opponent on the ground, in pieces. Ali, still furious over the attack, glared down at the dark burstling as she held the back of her leg. For a moment, it looked like the magic-wielding woman would try to scorch her own savior, but then something happened--a second bond was forged. The pair led Alliana back towards their food, one on either side, protecting her from any other creatures who were attracted to the scent of blood. Through clenched teeth, the girl passed on their names: Ethet, the drone, and Varania, the burstling, gave Linaeas warning snarls even as they passed the wolf-like archivist.

While many of the snake-like burstlings had already found their way out to the ground, an ash-black warrior was just tearing her way out of her host's chest. Smeared with blood an giblets, the little beast paused on the threshold between ribs and open air, and tilted her eyeless head right and left, speculating over the remaining bonders. When she had made her choice, she sprung from her dead host's body, propelled by her long tail, and wove around and over the coiling patterns over the floor. She moved with such a purpose that those who saw her moved out of her way quickly, lest they be attacked. As she neared her chosen, it became apparent that she wasn't aiming for the Water Demon, Creih, but for her collared little human pet! The Avengaean Demon, having seen the viciousness of other burstlings, shrieked when she noticed the tiny blood-smeared creature rocketing at her pet. No wormy little monster was going to harm her current project! The Demon moved to stomp the potential trouble-maker, but was stopped short as a shadowy dragonet rushed out from beneath her and pounced the offending burster, himself. "Mekatek!" the dark coloured Demon exclaimed before she'd even realized she'd said anything. The burstling squeeked and wriggled from beneath the Mekatet's claws, then shot off and into the anonymity that the other bonder's offered. It was only as Creih, her new bond-mate and the human were walking past Linaeas that the burstling slunk back into the light, and with the utmost wariness, curled up the human's leg to come to rest about her neck. That one is Xert, and no, she isn't about to eat your bond's pet, Taxoness relayed, amusement colouring his mind-voice as he spoke to the growling chaos-mutt.

While most of the extras in the hatching bay were there to protect the bonders from the hatchlings, or even from each other, there were a few medics on hand, as well. Most of those were stationed around the feeding tables to attend to the newly bonded, but a pair had rushed out amongst the candidates to help Devil's-lash as soon as he'd been tossed aside like so much bad meat. The medics had just finished all that they could do to help him on-site, when a dragonet stepped into the way of Devil's-lash's stretcher as they were carrying him out of the bay. The xeno-mutt let himself be known as Atness, and then stalked after the trio as they rushed out of the bay. He could get his first meal later.

The next bonding didn't occur within the ranks of candidates at all! A black chaos-hybrid, splotched with blood-like smears of red, grew bored with those around him, and began to wander the perimeter of the bay. Kip Halley toyed nervously with his tazer as the beast came forward--he didn't want to act out of hand, should the hatchling just be wandering by, but he didn't want to be caught by surprise, should the black-red male leap him--and was quite surprised when the creature stopped a few feet away from him. Eyes gleaming and muzzle twitched into a sort of superior amusedness, Ombet dragged a reluctant Kip away from his assigned station, and towards the feeding tables.

As Kip and his new bond edged behind three large dragons, three dragonets were regrouping and heading towards the trio of giant creatures, themselves. Ashpyth, Acerbu and Kokuuzou were standing near one another merely because they were the three largest candidates--even if Acerbu and Kokuuzou could have taken a smaller, less conspicuous forms. The copper-black-gold dragoness, Ashpyth was the first to bond, of the three. After a month or so of telling hopeful bipeds where to shove their requests to bond her, she finally had a bond of her own to emphasize the point. She guided her new little bond, a gray-black xeno-mutt named Bromodie back to the feeding tables, leaving Acerbu and Kokuuzou to their own devices.

To the right of where she'd been standing, Acerbu looked down and saw a furry little xeno-chaos hybrid standing at his feet, and while it had no eyes, he had the distinct impression that it was staring at him. Rumbling a welcome, Acerbu escorted the blue dragonet, Nacht away from the swarm of candidates and other hatchlings.

If the last of those trio of little beasts didn't already have the attention of the bonders and sponsors, not to mention everyone else in the bay, the ear-splitting roar that Mayonaka let out certainly changed that. Kokuuzou, alone now and standing out like a sore thumb amongst the smaller candidates, looked down upon the clutch's first xeno-queen. The creature resembled her smaller burstling siblings more then her hatched ones, and the layer of dried blood that dulled her shiny, oily black carapace sealed that fact. Touzaya was the beauty's name, and no one had any doubt about her rank as she walked, her limbs already developed, out of the mass of candidates with Kokuuzou in tow, surveying her siblings as though they were peons.

A young man and woman, both here not for the dragonets, but to deal with the queen who'd laid them, heard a scream that sounded particularly human coming from amongst the wall of herd-beast hosts. Rydelle looked about her, but no one else seemed to notice the noise, the candidates intent on making a bond and not being maimed, the guards intent on keeping order amongst the candidates. She turned her attention back to the wall, and, along with Garet, they searched with their eyes for one sacrificial victim in particular. While the hosts in this hatching were meant to be only Inyu, xenomorphs always had their way in finding desired prey... and there, hidden cleverly amongst the herd-beasts, was Elren, their pilot, his face contorted with pain. With a heavy sigh, Rydelle pulled a revolver out of her holster and shot the suffering man in the forehead. The resulting noise was lost in the large bay, though a few of the closer candidates looked up with surprise. Lucky for these two to have arrived at the hatching so last-moment. There weren't supposed to be any weapons at this hatching, unless in the hands of the guards! In any case, the pilot's body went limp and the burster within shot out of his chest, splattering Rydelle with blood. The two-headed creature faced the woman and the young man behind her, then slithered off into the ranks of candidates. As Rydelle stared after the escaping burstling, a more draconic hatchling pounced the serpentine beast and made ready to rip it to shreds. Mayonaka, who somehow was managing to keep tabs on the entire hatching, caught the movement and growled low in her throat. Her hybrid hatchling reluctantly released the little burstling, who squeeled and raced away, while it still could. The mud coloured drone--for the hybrid displayed tan instead of a warrior's black--locked crimson eyes with Rydelle's. The woman stared at her new bond for a moment in disbelief, before Garet broke their gaze. A waist-high ball of black fur and teeth was latched onto his side, accompanied by a blue-black burstling. "Looks like you bonded, too," he said, grimacing.
"Yeah... Shkit." She replied, though whether that was the two-headed drone's name, or a slurred obscenity...
"Thors,", Garet pointed to the chaos-mutt, "and Umet.." Both of the dragonets snarled or squeeked by way of greeting. Rydelle, a grim, fatalistic grin touching her lips, began to lead the gaggle back to the feeding tables, when a little green-black burstling shrieked and snaked its way over to them. Shkit growled and made as if to pounce again, but stopped short--Ixa, having bonded both the dragonet and Rydelle, joined the group as it moved away from the other bondings.

Meanwhile, the two-headed burstling that had popped out of its human host was making her way over to Orn Booth, and curled about his feet at the exact same moment that another hatchling came to a stop by him. This dragonet was another two-headed drone, only silver, and it seemed to have no qualms over a double bonding. In fact, the powerful magic-user was assaulted by bonds from the both of them at the same time, and the only thing that kept them from completely overwhelming him was the fact that he'd had a lot of practice in mind-shielding in the first place! At least they settled down as he led them to the feeding tables... Orn passed the Archivist, and immediately the little dragonets were hissing warily--before the silver could attack, Orn passed on their names, Evistora the dark-tan drone, and Retalet, the silver hatchling... and then he was moving off again, for which Linaeas, at least, was thankful.

While most of the dragonets had either hatched or bursted from their various confinements, a few eggs still shook, and a few Inyu still screamed from the walls. This didn't mean that the bay was settling down, however! Far from it! Most of the hatchlings that weren't actively selecting a bond were warring amongst each other, keeping the Minister of Security's guards in a flurry of approach-untangle-andthenbackupbeforegettingmauled sequences. Even at the feeding table, fights had begun to break out between hatchlings that wanted just this bowl, or just that space to sit in. The guard responsible for the tables and her own xeno-dragon bond were having a time of keeping everyone seperated. It wasn't surprising that, back amongst the remaining bonders and hatchlings, two chaos-hybrids had momentarily banded together for defense. A green-tinged black male watched his smaller sister's back as they approached the candidates, though... with the female's snarling and snapping, the black mutt probably didn't need to be protecting her. At any rate, they managed to ward off any likely enemies until they reached the candidates, and then, with one last parting growl, they went their seperate ways.
The large black-green male shoved aside a hopeful bonder, rather then sheering her arm off. Luckily, of course, because he was being watched by a number of guards at the moment! Sidling closer to the candidate at the end of the line, the dragonet placed a possessive paw over a thin, dark haired man's foot. Bronx glanced from the dragonet, to Dami--the last remaining candidate of their trio--and then back. He didn't bother to wish the apathetic girl any luck before following Hutzan out from the chaos amongst the bonders.
In the mean-time, the small brassy-red mutt was watching a young girl and her horse-headed guard. She didn't move as she watched the guard snatch up a little burstling and, like a fish caught but not wanted, threw it back in the general direction from whence it came. Kalaia, for that was the little girl's name, stood nearby him and had her hands over her eyes. The dragonet was amused by this, if nothing else. She stalked towards them, but the big horse-headed guard noticed her before she could reach her chose one. Darel flexed his hands as the hatchling paused before him--there was a stand-off of sorts as they sized each other up. Kalaia peeked out from behind her hands, and for the first time since she'd entered the bay, kept watching. Finally, the little female charged, flickering shadows gathering around her. Darel, for his part, stood his ground. "Stay behind me," he told the girl, for he wasn't sure just what tricks the little monster had up her proverbial sleeve. The female finally leapt, and as she did, the magic she'd been drawing coalesced around her, doubling her mass and size. She slammed square into the guard's chest, and with the unexpected weight, Darel was caught off balance, and fell, hard, to the resin-coated ground. The brassy female grinned down at him from his chest, feral, but coldly intelligent. There was one more pause as the guard tried to figure out whether or not he could whip out his stun-gun faster then she could rip out his throat, when, of all people, Kalaia interrupted the battle! "Netahiln! Stop that right now!" She reprimanded the little dragonet, her voice high and frightened. The dragonet snarled at Darel one last time, then hopped off of his chest as if he were too far below her to bother with. Thankful, Kalaia guided her new bond back towards the food bowls, keeping a hand on the dragonet's damp, furry back the whole time.
Before Darel had time to get himself upright, another dragonet was peering down at him. Thank the goddess, at least this one wasn't about to rip his throat out. ~You were beaten by a girl,~ the silver, eyeless dragonet said for all to hear.
The horse anthro snuffed and blew a strand of mane out of his eyes, then pushed himself to his feet. Was he humiliated? No... a female's wrath of any species was a force to be respected... even if it had been only a hatchling that had knocked him over. As if the dragonet read his mind, he replied, ~you have a strange way of reckoning things... but I like that.~ It wasn't long after that that Darel was following the dragonet to the feeding frenzy at the back of the bay, and, the helpful man that he was, the guard managed to catch Linaeas' attention. "This one's Arcos," he called towards the busy Archivist, who seemed to catch the name even through all of the chaos.

Chaos caused, not by a fight, but by a veritable horde of hatchlings that had decided to bond all at once! Linaeas' attention was now focused on a shady group of Demons, Avengaean Demons at that... all of which were finally making their own bonds, but not, it seemed without a showdown before-hand. Rhiupkhu had, for perhaps the first time, taken to the head of Pynliefde's minions and was facing down the gaggle of hatchlings while her companions (all six of them) watched on with various expressions. It was rather absurd, really--the Air Demon was at least half and half again as big as the largest of the hatchlings, and yet when she broke out into one of her speeches, she spoke to them with almost a respectful tone! Or maybe it was the kind of tone taken by an elder sibling who was very disappointed, but at the same time sympathetic to the dragonets' cause... "Now I know that your first urge has been to attack, but do you really want to take on demons so much larger then you?" Most of the dragonets shook their heads no--and those that began to nod got warning growls from their neighbors! "Indeed, wouldn't you rather join our side, and fight alongside us? Certainly we can keep you fed, can train you towards your true purpose... you will become strong while at our sides, and the respect you show us will be returned in abundance--nothing that these other worthless candidates can provide, I assure you!" A few other dragonets had wandered over in the midst of her speech, entranced by her words. "The choice is yours, of course," the Demoness ended, feeling smug (as always, after a stunt like that) that she'd managed to capture the attention of so many.
There was a lull, then, as the dragonets and burstlings seemed to converse--conversing, and not infighting! Just that was amazing!--and then they split up. Immediately, three burstlings approached Rhiupkhu. The two-headed female lead the other two, but it was the purple drone that spoke for the three of them. ~A speech so eloquent deserves the most competent of bonds,~ the burstling attempted, her words a mirror of Rhiupkhu's own. ~Accept Kutchecet, Ha, and Ritshe into your hive, and we will serve you with all faith.~ Not a bad try, for a newly burst! Rhiupkhu nodded graciously, again that feeling of smug satisfaction welling up within her. The pint-sized Archivist managed to pry her new bonds' names out of her, but not before the Air Demon glowered and showed her fangs.
A bloody-looking three-headed dragon took his opportunity to choose his own bond. He looked from Demon to Demon, and finally settled on the xeno-dragon that was sulking near the back of the pack. ~You're not the kind to do that,~ the dragonet said reproachfully, moving towards the copper male.
~I'm the kind to learn when tact is required,~ Ghorikoss answered, swinging his eyeless head around to meet the hatchling. Ossorighet snorted from all three heads, then grinned. They would do fine together...
A green hatchling was trotting about the group, looking for a conveniently similar bond. Likearo had nearly walked straight by Keerbene, but froze mid-step. Swung her head around. 'Stared' at the Black Demon. And then grinned so that she was revealing every one of her sharp, small teeth. Keerbene blinked, and then grinned back at her new bond. Oh, this would be an interesting match...
In the meantime, The Earth Demon Ilserv had been watching from the side, speculating over the group of dragonets. Despite what the idiot Air had said, the Earth was not about to tolerate a new bond, not if it was male, at least. And she would inspect any of the little brutes that came towards her, just to be on the safe side. Let them pick those thoughts out of her mind... So forcefully was Ilserv thinking these thoughts that she didn't, at first, notice a little muddy dragonet pushing against her fore paw. And then the little thing's distinctly feminine voice--strong, proud, but at the same time hinting a little at helplessness--entered her mind, and the Earth Demoness was hooked. She couldn't be bothered to tell Linaeas her bond-mate's name, nor could Taxoness get it out of the dragonet herself. Only after the female xenodragon who had been keeping order at the table managed to pass the name on could Linaeas record anything. "Disteena? Hmph, so much trouble for a name, and not a particularily special one, at that." The Archivist was not impressed at all with these Avengaeans... they seemed to be getting worse with each one that passed!
Luckily enough, it was a rather weak looking Black Demon. Keshnarmeynee was already stalking by with a red-toned xeno-mutt, looking none too happy with her new bond. ~My name is--~ the female dragonet began, but the Demoness cut her off.
"Say another word and I'll have you for dinner," she hissed at the little one, quite out of character... but then she gave Linaeas a down-cast look, and said, "Her name is Verklei." With that, the pair moved off, but Linaeas could still hear Keshna berating her bond for... well, for something.

The rest of Rhiupkhu's dragonet-audience was still going about choosing those remaining in the Avengaean ranks, while another group of hatchlings was beginning to form. Mostly burstlings, this time, but a few hatchlings, as well, approached Nin-tiash'tar Irkall and her vampire hive. Surprisingly enough, the first of this group to step forward was a crimson red mutt. His furry hide was speckled with black, like mold, or like dried specks of blood. Even as he moved, he dragged his feet, heavy, perhaps, or tired. A number of scratches marked his body, though the blood from them blended well with the rest of his coat. In only a moment, Apsu found himself blinking down at the little beast, and the first thought that struck him was that his new bond was so thin, ribs showing, dying from starvation--no, that couldn't be. The vampire shook off the mental projections that the dragonet was sending, and sure enough, the red mutt was just as hale and healthy as could be expected. "Pull that on me again, Pereslos" the vampire murmured, "and I might not contain myself at the sight of so much blood on your hide." The dragonet, who'd finally realized his mistake, bowed his head and sat at his bond's foot. They obviously weren't going anywhere until the Lady said so.
~Look at all those trinkets you've got, Shutu~ a voice, vibrant and amused but at the same time dripping with acidic scorn, preceeded the appearance of an eyeless hatchling--this one as bright as the sun, yellow and gold, his grin the only dark thing about him. The gypsy-like Ravnos glanced at him, glanced away, all this time fiddling with a medallion that he'd taken from another candidate. Looked back again, and the dragonet was still standing there. Pocketed the medallion, and began to move towards the opposite side of the group of drones. ~Na ah ah,~ the same voice followed him, and when he turned again, the dragonet was on his heels. ~You're not going to sneak away from me, dear Shutu. I might be brightly coloured, but I'm just as adept at slinking about as you...~ and he continued to speak, his voice a complicated mixture of soothing and scorn, praise and disgust. Cktra, for that was the dragonet's name, glanced towards the leader of this hive and grinned a little darker, and then stood at the foot of his new bond.
Nintur watched her brood-siblings bond with detachment, her chitin-covered arms crossed over her chest. Let them bond. She was strong enough to serve the Mother herself, after all... or so she thought? A two-header hatchling, this one in swirling smog tones, brushed against her leg, grinning as if she'd chosen well already. For a moment, Nintur fought Persea's bond... but once she succumbed to it, she realized that perhaps it would be for the better...
In the meantime, a three-headed beast approached Kingu and sat at his foot without public comment. He didn't have to convince the ex-leader of vampires that he, Wandersat, was finally somebody worthy of thinking as an equal.
Nanshe, well, she'd come along with the hive simply because she had to... but once she'd arrived at Star City, she'd begun to enjoy herself. With so many cultures mixing together, clashing or melding as they were bound to do, there was an amazing amount of art spun off, enough to keep her mildly satisfied for quite some time. But now... she wasn't certain, but she thought she began to feel something flutter inside her. A midnight black dragonet trotted straight towards her, her armor plating and head-crest glittering like amethyst, her horns the purest silver. "Shennah." The vampire dropped to one knee as the dragonet stopped before her. If she'd still had the ability to cry, she was sure that she'd be doing it right now... as it was, she lowered her forehead to the dragonet's, and stroked the side of that fine black neck. She was sure that this was it, that this was the filler or her spiritual void... it had to be, didn't it?
A squeel broke the vampiress' contemplation, and drew the attention of the rest of the hive, as well. And then, suddenly, magically, it was as if every vampire was seeing things from five different points of view at once, and then, beyond that, faintly from even more directions. It was dissorienting, but not overwhelmingly so. Then the cause behind this sudden shift became apparent: five burstlings had wormed there way to the center of the gathering, and now one of them spoke. A crystalline white burstling rose up on her tail and addressed the leader of the hive, Nin-tiash-tar herself. ~Lady,~ the burstling began, one of her three heads focused at the 'queen', the other two scanning the rest of the hive. ~A true hive, a true queen deserves true servants. We bring you the gift of connection.~ Another eloquent hatchling, this one. So the burstlings had made their choice--not just bonding with one candidate, they had decided to bond with the entire hive! It would take some time getting used to this new mind-net... certainly...
Many of the vampires were testing out these new, still fragile bonds when even they felt a flood of cold (frighteningly so) intelligence. Mayonaka rumbled in satisfaction as another queen strode confidently towards the large group. She passed through the ring of vampires, and then through the ring of burstlings, all of which who parted before her like ice on a hot blade, and stood before the leader of this particular hive. ~You,~ the queen addressed Nin-tiash-tar, ~are my chosen,~ and it was as simple as that. The Lady of the hive smiled faintly. There was no urge to usurp her coming from this dragonet, even if there was no urge to follow like a simple drone. Even though she was not an hour old, the silver queen treated Nin' as an equal, and this was something new.
Back at the edge of the bay, Taxoness all but chuckled. ~Do you want the list all at once, or do you want to let them tell you as they pass?~
The Archivist smothered his dismay as the watched the hive approach. "Just tell me now, and I'll record what I can before I begin to ask them." Better to double-check with this many at once!
~Well then. Of the bursters, the green is Jomera, the the muddy one there is Lestat, the three-header, the white one there, that's Quarnet, the little black is Dremmel, and the blue is Bass. Catch that?~
Linaeas rumbled and entered what names he could, and then the hive proper was upon him, and he had to make do with asking questions himself.

Thank all the gods, for a time there was a period of quiet. There weren't many people in the audience to enjoy it--no, only those who'd wished to sponsor one of these beasts had been allowed to enter. Things in the stands, however, were not going according to plan. Most sponsors at Star City were required to wait until the end of a hatching, and then to pick up the unbonded stragglers. This time, however, it seemed that the dragonets weren't going to wait for the end of the hatching! A pair of burstlings, a green and a smoggy-teal respectively, had found their way into the stands, and were sneaking up on those gathered there.
Hemlock might have been a representative from the Ring of Fire, but he was here on his own business tonight. He'd come here just to see the hatching, agreeing to sponsor in order to get in... but now something distracted him. Some... presence? He would have investigated further, but something slithered over his boots, draggin his attention to the floor. Kzats, the green warriorling that curved around his feet, sent him such a feeling of possessiveness that he was torn between picking the slick creature up, and kicking it away to the lower stands. Finally, the former urge won out. Kzats curled firmly around his forearms when the Draclin'geyar and urged him towards food.

The teal burstling was soon accompanied by others, and following Kzats' example, they slunk up to gathering of unsuspecting sponsors as a group. Rose wasn't expecting to make another bond... after all, she already had a dragon! As soon as she'd thought that, she felt an overwhelming wave of jealousy--and then, looking down, she found that same teal trying to slither up the side of her leg. The burstling demanded food and adoration, not to mention unconditional love and attention, all in one wave of powerful emotions. Well. This was different. Before the female could do anything else, Rose scooped her up and headed down the stairs. What in the world was she going to do with a dragonet like this?! She'd wanted henchmen, after all-- ~You'll love me, that's what you'll do,~ the female barked, speaking for the first time. And then, for what seemed like no reason at all, she uncoiled herself from Rose's arm and darted away, but not out of the evil woman's mind. "Get?" She called, more then a little confused, and certainly more then a little irritated with that whole scene.

Wary, now, the other sponsors watched the floor for any burstlings to, well, burst out at them. Makon and Dagor, even as watchful as they were, were in for a surprise. A little red female had circled around behind them, and now she leapt at the cheetah-shifter. Surprised, Makon shook his leg, but already she was coiling around his pants (and leaving a nice slimy, blood-streaked trail in the process) in an effort to get up to him. Dagor was caught somewhere between shock and amusement--after all, it was his bond who was trying so hard to be rid of the tightly wound burstling! Just when the xeno-dragon was about to offer help, the last burstling slid forward, effectively blocking him with sendings of hunger and... fear, strangely enough. Makon and his bond looked at each other, "Rass?" the biped asked of his bond at the same moment that Dagor asked ~Neektee?~ The burstlings both squeeled when they heard their names... and then the two hopeful sponsors realized what had happened. Now they both had bonds of their own! Much more then they'd bargained for!

If things were getting confusing up in the stands, then everything was ten times worse back in the bay-proper! Tollitszo and Kurmsz had sired two subsets of this massive clutch, even if Mayonaka hadn't allowed them near the subsequent eggs. Not that the two Chaos dragons seemed very trustworthy in the first place... who knew what they were standing as candidates for, now? To bond their own offspring, perhaps? Such was not to be, however. Soon the pair of semi-insubstantial dragons found themselves ringed by nearly half a dozen snake-like newbursts, most of which were definitely of hydra-descent. ~Who would have seen this coming?~ Tollitszo murmured dryly, while his brother simply gaped--a ghastly smile, if it was anything--at the circling bursters. The three-headed red, obviously the strongest of the set, snapped as if in answer to the Chaos. ~You'll take us, whether you feel that we are good enough or not, shadow-beast.~ she said, with a surprisingly harsh voice. At this point, she and a two headed warrior split off from the other three and circled Tolliszo's feet. The other three, a single headed, muddy coloured male and a pair of two-headers, slithered up to Kurmz. The little trio said not a word, but it was obvious that a bond had been made. They drifted out of the dwindling group of candidates, their new bonds snaking along beneath them, and at first, it didn't look like they were going to stop for the puny Archivist at all. But the Tollitszo paused, exchanged a crimson-eyed look with Linaeas, and grinned. ~My two are Odedyt and Fenga,~ he said, pointing out the red and the deep, smoggy coloured burstling. ~And my dear brothers' little 'hive' consists of Yssedet, Kailet and Nisarda, over there.~ Linaeas glanced at the trio, trying to figure out which was which. Tollitszo, who was about to move off again, paused and smirked all the darker. ~The green, yellow, and muddy, respectively,~ he explained in a mockingly patient tone. He rumbled with laughter at the Archivist, who ignored him for the most part... and finally moved on. Linaeas snorted at the absurdly condescending dragon, and instead of getting worked up about it, enjoyed the short lull before he had to catch up with the next bonder. What did a beast like that know about the difficulties of this job, anyhow?

Across the Sands, Michael Thomas waited patiently for his bond. In truth, he was beginning to re-consider if he wanted part of this dragon business. As opposed to what the dragonrider had explained to him, this seemed a little...insane. Did he really want a homicidal bond, like these dragons seemed to be? Could he even handle something like that, or would it turn on him, like that hatchling had turned on the strange man? Why was he even here--no, he knew why he was here. And he could control a beast like this. Not only would he control it, he'd become friends with it... and after that, well... he would see what would happen, then. No big brute was ever going to knock him or his friends around again, that was for sure. Then, as if drawn by his strength of determination, a purpley dragonet came rushing at him. But... this one didn't look like it hand any intention of forging a bond... no, he looked more like he was ready to tear a chunk out of Michael's leg! The boy took a step back, ready to dodge if he needed to, but before he could come to harm, a grey-spotted mutt leapt to his rescue. She tackled her smaller cousin, growling and snarling and spitting at him. A squabble broke out, briefly, but the female hatchling quickly asserted who was in the right, here, and the purple backed off. Michael watched his unexpected rescuer with some disbelief and confusion. "Floss, I... you didn't have to..." he said, for lack of anything better. The dragonet shrugged her damp wing-shoulders, and without a word, then led him towards food.

The purple-black dragonet, in the meantime, was slinking through the dark to finally find a bonder. He'd had enough of fighting with just that show-down... no way was he going to get that kind of beating, again! Fortunately for him, he ran into another candidate at that moment... unfortunately for Yuumei, if the body-sharer hoped for a dragon to help him in his crimes. The dragonet grinned up at him and the bond was forged before Yuumei had anything to say on the matter, however. From somewhere in the back of his mind, he could hear his twin's bond chuckling evilly... ~This Meretheus suits you well, trouble-maker,~ she intoned--and then her voice was lost in conversation with... the hatchling? Well that was just great... now he'd have two of the beasts hindering his plans... now what was he going to do?

Now there were only a few dragonet left... all of the Inyu had fallen silent... dead. All of the eggs had hatched, revealing the rest of the hatchlings. The remaining candidates watched with varying degrees of despair, hope... desperation. By this point, most of the dragonets weren't outright attacking. In fact, most of them had clumped together outside of the pile of discarded eggs! The candidates began to close in on them, hoping to force a bond. And, following suit, the guards moved forward a little, as well. If the first attempt at forcing a bond proved anything, it was that the dragonets had to make the choice, not the bonders. Rumi, for one, sighed and tapped her non-lethal weapon against one palm. Did these idiots never learn? No, and that was one of the reason she was in this profession: people never did learn... there'd always be trouble and violence, and someone had to be there to get in the way and stop it, right? Well, she might not have done a lot of stopping things tonight, but quite suddenly, she realized that she'd gotten in the way! A two-headed beast broke out of the candidate-made coral and headed straight for her, ignoring them for the most part, snapping at them if they attempted to lay a hand on her. Slithering right alongside the hatchling came a little white burster--pink at the moment with blood--and both of them didn't stop until they were settled around the guard's feet. Rumi looked down, looked almost helplessly to the other guards, and then sighed. The bond was made... at least she wasn't the only guard to have bonded... even the Minister had his first three bursters.
"Another one, hmm?" Linaeas asked as he caught up with her.
"Another two, yeah," she replied, her dark eyes hooded, her otherwise pretty face twisted in an irritated frown. "The purple one's Brullera, and the white's Jingoa," she supplied, before the Archivist could ask.
"It could be worse," the wolf-like Archivist said, "believe me, I've had to deal with everything, tonight."
At that point, the hatchling shrieked, demanding food. Rumi parted with Linaeas, not at all cheered. Maybe the Archivist had had to deal with a lot tonight, but this was only the beginning for her, after all...

Following Brullera's lead, many of the other hatchlings broke away from the conglomeration in the middle of the bay, though these dragonets were content enough to bond those that were meant for them!
Another damply furry mutt strutted to a lizard-like candidate's feet. Tei'u'a cackled and immediately dropped to a crouch to stroke the dragonet's head, and then with a flick of her tail, they were up and headed for food. It was probably the most cheerful bonding to have taken place all night, and Linaeas, for one, was happy enough to catch them for a bit of a chat... or so he thought. "This? This's Shunoir, the K'anta bonder drawled, smug and happy and all but preening--as was the dragonet! "Pick of th'litter, isn't he? He'll grow up to be a fine lad, you can bet your tail on it!" She continued... and then continued on. And on. Linaeas was almost sorry that he'd caught them in the first place. It was a relief when he caught a flaming demon--one of the last of the remaining Avengaeans, actually, moving away with two young dragons in tow.
"Excuse me," he told the lizard lady and her bond, and beat a hasty retreat.
Kejenah stopped, and was polite enough to pass on her dragonets' names, without a monologue to accompany it! "So, Somatika?" he asked, pointing to the coal-coloured dragonet. "And Kolross?" to the red and purple half-mutt. The demon nodded politely, distantly, and moved by.
And now another bonder was approaching him, already! The dragonets were certainly making fast work of the remaining candidates! Favoi, a young human woman who, despite the the absurdly gloomy setting, seemed to be amused more then anything, was guiding a black and blue dragonet to the feeding tables. "Oh, him? Iodass, of course." She grinned at Linaeas and, without another word, walked by. That went fast enought.
Finally, the last of this current stream of newly bonded pairs made its way to the Archivist. A young woman with pink hair and an... unhealthy build, to say the least, was being led by a black and pink dragonet, who answered for the both of them. ~I'm Heidoran, and this is Dami. Can we go now?~
"Of course..." Linaeas replied, a little surprised at the force of the dragonet's voice. He looked about for any stragglers of this group, but the rest of the candidates were still waiting on their bonds. Finally, another brief pause.

Speaking of the candidates, another xeno-mutt was making his own choice tonight. Quiral, despite the fact that he'd only hatching a short time ago, was already moving spryly amongst the ranks of potential bonders. The grey-red male was sure that his bond was here already... he'd sensed the candidate before he as even out of his shell! And there, there he was, standing towards the edge of the bonders. A huge man, for a human, Quiral approached his chosen one with no less animation then he'd been moving a moment before. The dragonet didn't even reach Motega's knee, and yet, despite the absurd size-difference between the two of them, they seemed to... match. Motega stared down at the hatchling for a moment, as blank-eyed as ever, and then it began to dawn on him. There might not have been a special sparkle in his eye as he kneeled to meet the dragonet, but he knew that something was different now, and always would be.

At the same moment, a two-headed, smoggy beast was making his way towards Pencara with an almost lazy like drag to his step. The much larger xenodragon rumbled when she saw him approaching, wondering if this young one was actually as slothful as he appeared. Not that she had any ambitions of bonding to a great dragon; the green dragoness was more worried that this hatchling who approached her with such slow, sleep-like movements would be inappropriate to serve Makon, the leader of her hive. No one wanted a lay-about drone, no one could afford a lay-about drone! These thoughts were pushed aside, however, as the smoggy dragonet stopped by her feet, and when the two of them touched minds, she laid her worries to rest completely. ~Aferat...~ she began, hoping to convey her appreciation. Both of his heads bobbed in understanding. He didn't need spoken words, for already, without question and without doubt, Aferat had agreed to serve the hive as faithfully as Pencara did.

Out of the few remaining dragonets, three banded together and approached the xenomorphs (two shifters and one of Mayonaka's clutch) that waited, apart from the other candidates in attitude more than in proximity. The first of the three, Kessiress, sensed the heat signals distinguishing themselves from the cluster of hatchlings long before one of the beasts, a three headed, oily dragonet by the name of Cemidot entered his mind. The male sat down smoothly at Kessiress' feet, and not one of his heads flinched or turned to retaliate against the snapping mouth of another of his trio. This oily-black dragonet, if he wasn't thick-headed, was a noble beast indeed.
The snapper, a yellow-tan dragonet, rustled her wings in irritation and then passed the big, three-headed brute. Not that she'd have wanted to bond a male, anyways, but she'd wanted to be the first to choose! In any case, she paused before the larger drone, Orah, just as she'd planned to do in the first place. At first, the omega-ranked xenodragon paid the her hopeful bond little heed. After all, why would someone so self confident want to bond a worthless cur like her? Thisserat, for that was the dragonet's name, immediately snarled at her bond's very thought, and thrust her little paw over the larger dragon's talon. ~You may wish to waste your time on thoughts of self-degradation, but I will have none of it,~ the dragonet exclaimed, her voice so commanding that it took Orah off guard. Thisserat snuffed up at her bond as the larger dragon immediately apologized. ~I see I have a lot of work to do on you,~ she said, her voice a peculiar mixture of condescention and sympathy. With that, the both of them headed away from the bonders, leaving the shifter xenos to do as the wished.
As they left, Olredek found himself facing the last of the dragonet trio, a dragonet not of Mayonaka's parentage, but still part xenomorph, at that. The deep red dragonet tilted his eyeless head and regarded his prospective bond, and then, as if having sized the shifter up and found that he liked him, suddenly Olredek felt the first strong bonds that would connect them throughout life. Esfedzrah nodded to himself, his lipless muzzle pulled back in a ghastly, satisfied grin.
Kessiress and Olredek remained amongst the candidates for a moment longer, communing in that way that only xenomorphs had. Something was happening...

And then, that something became apparent to everyone else in the bay. The real queen of this hatching ceremony, Andressa, rose from her chitinous throne and gazed into the stands, where the few remaining sponsors stood. Another woman and her dragon, the former opposite of Andressa in nearly every way, stood there now, appearing as if from nowhere and upsetting the nearby guards and onlookers. A few candidates turned to look, but when Mayonaka screeched shrilly, and the red dragoness in the stands bugled a warning call, the entire bay had their attention. This was just what the guards were trying to avoid... a full out confrontation! And between the clutches mother and an invader, at that! On the bay's floor, Gavin took a step from behind the scenes and spoke with the captain of the guards... obviously hoping to quell the commotion. It didn't help that his four bonds were putting up their own racket! While most of the attention in the bay went to either queen, few noticed the two xeno-shifters on the floor, below. Cemedot was nearly writhing now--a sharp counterpoint to his previous calm--all three of his heads snarling and snapping at the air. He had to be fighting some inner compulsion... and true enough, Mayonaka's crimson eyes were boring down on the group with such a malicious intent that it could only be her doing. Beside the larger hatchling, Esfedzra growled and advanced on the oily male, and Cemedot seemed to snap back to reality. With a defiant screech at his mother, the dragonet urged his new rider, alongside Esfedzrah, to the back of the bay. Mayonaka looked like she was about to explode and tear everyone in the bay to pieces... but for one reason or another, she contained herself. It could have been that one last queen had quietly, and without notice, maade her way out of her host's chest. The three-headed, crimson red beauty skittered across the resin crusted floor, trying but failing to blend with her surroundings. A modest queen? Was it possible?

There were only five dragonets left, and all of them were of the burster variety. Many of the remaining candidates looked somewhere between defeated or hopeful, defiant or disdainful of their remaining choices. Some candidates left the floor of the bay entirely, not wanting to bond the disgusting, snake-like creatures. The bursters, however, didn't seem at all worried by their dwindling choices. They'd caught sight of their queen, and now all five of them were headed for her! And the queen... well... she wasn't headed towards the candidates at all. In fact, as she darted behind the egg pile and around the remaining bonders, she was making a bee-line for Gavin and the captain of the guards.
"Oh gods..." The Minister whispered, seeing a flash of red equally as bright as his Sotiel captain. The one time that he stepped out of the shadows, and they were all heading in his direction! What was he, a magnet?! He took a step back... but taking it as a signal that he was in danger, his three mature bonds advanced to protect him. The first of the burstlings, a little yellow drone, came up over a rise in the floor and connected with the alpha of Gavin's little hive, Jugiss. The much larger warrior hissed at the burstling for a moment but--
Gavin cursed. He felt the wash of emotions echo through Jugiss' bond to him, then felt the bonding all the stronger as Hekoto bonded him directly! Now that he'd steeled himself against it, the experience wasn't as mind-boggling as it had seemed the first time... but that didn't mean that the Minister was any happier about it! He called a swift retreat to his bonds, but alas, the rest of the burstlings had already boiled up over the lip of the nearest resin coil, and were headed straight for them. Igess, who had been moving between Gavin and his other bond, Keren, the entire hatching, squeed in tandem with a blue drone--this neuter wasn't going to oppose a new bond, even if he already had two!
From back at the feeding tables, Keren cursed, herself. "Gods and Royals, what the hell is going on over there?" Both she and Gavin, through Igess, were now aware of one Nonryph, and while they might not have been pleased about it, the burstling was aware of them, and even excited about seeing them!
So fixed on the secondary bonds that were banging around his head, Gavin didn't notice another burstling slithering through the 'defensive perimeter' of his primary bonds. ~You seem displeased,~ he heard, suddenly, out of nowhere. Looking down (and trying to take another step back), he saw a blood-spattered black burstling twining about his feet. It had spoke? The others rarely used words... almost seemed incapable of them in more then a single word or thought. And yet... ~Yes, you heard me,~ the warrior replied, seeming almost smug at the surprise that Gavin was putting out. Then, much like the others had, Vluhlenda bonded him, and that was that.

The little red queen had been watching all of this with something akin to entertainment. A hive forming before her very... er, well, not eyes... she was amused by the human's resigned disgust, by the older warriors' acceptance of the new. The human would be a fine bond indeed... but the red realized that, despite his gender and species... he was a veritable queen in his own right. She would probably be fighting for control with him as much as she liked him... if she were to bond him, she would inherit his hive, after all, and they would listen to her...
The single remaining, unattached drone in the bay slithered over to her, both of his pink heads bobbing in greeting. ~What, steal another hive of simple drones like that?~ he asked, amusement tinting his colourful voice. ~Why take second-best when you could start something of your own?~ It was true... most of those xenodragons, despite their large (or soon to be large!) heads, weren't exactly the most intelligent beasts to grace the station. Meanwhile, she knew right from wrong, had the gift of speech... and even now she was picking up information from everyone in the bay, expanding her knowledge exponentially. She could do better...
It was then that the queen noticed the little Sotiel standing, arms crossed, a few feet away from Gavin. A quick probe to the mind and the queen had all of the information she needed--not to mention Satena's attention! Being a strong psionics user, the captain was aware of such a clumsy maneuver, and as aware of exactly who'd done it. ::Don't you even think of it, you little--::
~But it's already been done!~ the pink burstling interjected. Only then was Satena aware that she'd bonded the queen, Zexenophit, but the two-headed drone, Ussiterah, as well! The queen smirked and closed the distance to her new bond, Ussi' trailing behind her. ~I think we'll do well together,~ the red queen said simply.
::Yeah, just splendid.:: The Sotiel lashed her spiny tail, even less pleased with the situation then her boss was with his..

The last of the dragonets had finally bonded, and Mayonaka, pleased enough with the results to let off her rage at the intruder to her hatching, rumbled her satisfaction. Those remaining unbonded on the sands filtered out of the bay, disappointed, while those who'd been waiting to see the results rushed in from a different entrance. Most of the security team came to the aid of their Minister, the captain, and their co-workers who'd managed to accidentally bond in the process, joking amongst themselves at their luck (be it good or bad!) A sense of relief swept the hatching bay as people realized: the massive xenomorph hatching at Star City had finally come to its end!
Linaeas all but collapsed where he was sitting, his holo-pad flickering out as he ceased concentrating on it. That had been the longest, most dreadful hatching that he had ever been responsible for... he was lucky that neither he, nor his bond, had picked up a stray burstling like those others! Rubbing a paw over his face-mask, the Archivist heaved a sigh of relief. And turned, because he heard someone approaching him. Thankfully, it was only the Minister Siche. While she could be a pain in the tail some days, at least he knew what to expect from her. "Survived?" She asked him, smirking.
"Barely!" Linaeas chuffed and got to all fours again, then shook himself out. "What a mess this whole thing was. Remind me to remind you that you're off your rocker if you ever want to host another xenodragon! Or any other rotten beast, for that matter!"
"I'm off my rocker? You're the one who wanted this job all to himself!" The felinoid cackled and crossed her arms, mocking him with a look.
"I didn't want to put any of my underlings in any danger--" the Archivist began to object, but the Minister's cackling cut him off.
"You're just a glory hog, and you know it."
Taxoness squeed and butted at the Minister, managing to smear slimey drool all up her back in the process. ~It wasn't so bad,~ he said, ~There was only one major injury!~
"'Wasn't so bad'?" Siche replied, surprised that the beast had deemed talk to her, more then a little disgusted at the slime messing up her fur and clothes. "'Wasn't so bad' for you, maybe! You're not the one who has to clean up this big mess!"
The xenodragon tried to look abashed, though he wasn't pulling it off very well through that joker's drooly grin. Siche sighed. Now it was Linaeas' turn to laugh! "No, dear Minister... that particular assignment falls to your department."

After that, their talk turned to business... and no one really wants to hear about that! So move on to the pickup pages, and see what kind of vile beasts took so long to hatch in the first place! :P