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SUMMARY: The Lekers, a violent reptile race, make first contact with the an unknown enemy. Tentions arise and the threat of Intergalactic War looms. Read to find out what happens in, The Limera Conflict.

Chapter 13-Insectoid Reminiscences Part II-Survival in the Limera and the Quest for the Crater.



In the barren and desolate planet of Limera Prime, existence was...difficult. Priority had to be given to certain things, while others were thrown to the wind. To survive, everything had to be risked and even the Overmind struggled to live. Like its current situation, the early days of the Overmind where filled with challenges of unseen calibers, while an environment of uncertainty prevailed. It was only by boldly moving forward that the Overmind survived, and it's was this drive that the Insectoids search their memories. They were looking for the mentality and the drive that had helped it to survive then, so that it could thrive now. By searching through its past, the Insectoids would hone their survival instincts and remember the many valuable lessons they had learned over their long history. The Overmind drifted through its memories, to the olden days of Limera Prime when the Insects were young and life was hard.

When the Overmind became aware, it realized the hardships of its environment. With only a small portion of its previous light, most life on Limera Prime had died. Except for itself, the Overmind only found single celled bacteria surviving in the hell that the planet had become. The small and simple organisms survived by using, a very efficient form of phosythensis, but just barely. The insects took the bacteria into their own bodies and formed a type of symbiosis with them. The bacteria gave them some energy, and they received a safe and stable environment. It was only this partnership that gave life on Limera a chance for survival. Neither one could survive by themselves and now they were inseperatable.

The Overmind survived the next few years, almost always at the brink of extinction. The unpredictable world that Limera had become threatened to destroy them at any term. An earthquake or an eruption constantly emerged as a threat, only serving to keep the insect colony moving. It searched for raw materials over the ever shifting surface, by which it could increase its number. Many bugs fell prey to toxic gases and other various perils, always keeping the hive number small. Yet something began to pull at the overmind. It began to move with a decided pace towards the center of the continent. There something glimmered and gave off energy. The distance was great but the Overmind knew that it was the only chance for survival. Slowly and carefully, the insects began the long and perilous journey, not knowing what dangers might await them.

Over time, the level of ambient energy increased and reached the point where it could actually be used by the bugs. Through subtle genetic changes, the Overmind allowed the bacteria to absorb the radiation and convert it to a form the bugs could use. Now the radiation and not the sunlight powered the bugs. In many ways the shift was positive, the energy always came, constant and unyielding. It was lower than the sunlight, but was much easier to maintain.