THE RECONQUEST OF ALVEUS NOVUSPrologueOne morning the residents of Twinbrook awoke to discover a new building in their midst. “It’s not a real house,” complained Anna Liza Riddle. “It’s set at an angle to the sidewalk. And the bed – they don’t have any walls around it or roof above it.” Her voice dropped to a whisper, “And you wouldn’t believe how they carry on – they don’t seem to realize that anyone might be watching.”
Justin Kayes and Lang Gwydd exchanged glances. It wouldn’t surprise them to find out that the new residents had known perfectly well that Anna Liza was watching – she didn’t seem to realize how visible her large binoculars were. Nevertheless, she had a point. In a town which prided itself on eccentricity, the newest residents were definitely odd. They didn’t dress like anyone else, and sometimes there was a strange glow about them…
Their activities seemed normal, however. The woman sketched, and the man worked in the garden. And, as Anna Liza had confirmed, their interests didn’t seem any different from those of the rest of Twinbrook. By the end of the weekend, everyone had quit talking about the newcomers and turned their attention back to Twinbrook’s performance in the World Cup.
Rex and Regina Melapis would have been surprised to discover that they were an object of curiosity, for they were taking great pains to look normal. Regina had trimmed her wings to a minimum, and Rex wore a mask to hide his eye markings. They even ate meals like the other people in Twinbrook instead of absorbing nutrients through their skin. “It’s good to chew food again,” Regina commented. “It’s been three thousand years since I’ve had lettuce.” “That’s right,” agreed Rex, “not since they named the Appian Way after us in Rome.”
And when they discovered that people in Twinbrook would expect them to be married before they started producing children, they engaged in their traditional courting ceremony. Rex approached Regina with some thorned blossoms…
…and caught her when she was overwhelmed by their scent.
They were not ready to reproduce yet – they still had jobs to complete, skills to work on, and friends to make, but the first step had been taken.
Rex would go to work in law enforcement. He was ambitious, adventurous, and athletic, a workaholic who loved the outdoors.
His lifetime wish was to become a Seasoned Traveler, and his first trip was to China.
The first day he went to work, Regina was very proud of him. He had slicked down his hair and dressed so as to be unobtrusive, as his job was that of a snitch. His boss, Goodwin Goode, had explained to him how important it was that he blend in.
Regina was ambitious, artistic, family-oriented, and a workaholic. Her wish was to Live in the Lap of Luxury.
She found work as a Stylist. It was a job that gave her the opportunity to develop her painting, for she would have the task of completing portraits of each of her future drones. But she also could use it to meet her future subjects and dress them appropriately. Her first client was Molly Coddle, who wanted a new hair color. Regina also gave her a new black and yellow striped t-shirt to indicate her status as a worker bee.
She also gave Lang Gwydd a t-shirt before she changed his sleepwear, which was what he wanted. She didn't get a picture of him in his t-shirt, unfortunately.
For several days, their lives were normal. They had agreed to assimilate the town slowly, not to threaten anyone. Besides working, Rex exercised at the Alchemy Shop.
He also was starting to learn the skill of alchemy.
But one day, the bees arrived – the little insects whom Rex and Regina regarded as their distant ancestors. It was Regina’s sacred duty to care for them.
And it was the bees’ sacred duty to allow themselves to be cared for, but they didn’t seem to realize that.
Regina didn’t blame the bees. It was obvious to her that the people of Twinbrook must have mistreated them somehow, for them to be so hostile. “I’ll show them!” she fumed to Rex. “Instead of one drone each Reproductive Day, I’ll produce 4 or 5. They will rue the day they let my bees go wild!”
“I’m not sure you’re being fair, honeybee,” said Rex. “You should at least warn them.”
“I’ll warn them!” agreed Regina. “I’ll make them quake in their boots with fear.”
She picked up the newspaper. “They have a section called ‘Letters to the Editor,’” she said. “I’ll send my manifesto to them.”
Regina Melapis Floris Terrae salutem dicit. Tribus mille annis decessi aedificavi urbes et oppidi optimi vobis. Hodie ecce chaos! Ergo filii et filia nostri vestra villas occupabimus. Resistere non potest.(Translation:
Queen Honeybee salutes the flowers of Earth. Three thousand years ago, I built the best cities and towns for you. Today I behold chaos! Therefore our sons and daughters will occupy your homes. To resist is not possible.)
“That’s kind of archaic Simlish,” said Rex. “Do you think they’ll understand it?”
“If they don’t, they should,” said Regina. “I think we’ve given them fair enough warning.”
(Translator's note: Although Rex and Regina speak Archaic Simlish to each other, I have chosen to modernize their conversations to make them easier to understand.)
