Here is an image of the entire Living Dead squad from my story "Resist".
Top left is Grub, my favorite character if I had to choose. Grub is a scholar at heart who grew up studying the alien humans of Earth. Though the Hierarchy decided never to make direct contact with the humans, or even visit the planet at all, Grub found ways to gather detailed information about the newly discovered species.
Top center is Duster, the quiet, yet handy Desert Drone. Little is known about Duster's past other than it was a Desert Drone that lived in a small village. Fluent in the normal and desert variation of the Formic tongue, Duster's talents for language are hidden behind a shy, withdrawn personality. Rarely does the Drone speak, but when it does, every word has a worth far greater than any novel. What they also discover is Duster's knack for technology, which is something of a surprise considering its roots. Duster is the only one to wear clothing, mostly because in the deserts they are accustomed to wearing such as protection from the violent sandstorms (hence the helmet). When the war began, they immediately noticed the Drone's potential as a spy, and inserted it into Hierarch camps to keep tabs on their treatment of prisoners. Unfortunately, this ultimately cost the Drone its life, but it was resurrected for its merits and included into the squad.
Top right (and my worst face yet of a Drone) is Ty, the leader of the group. Ty was the Supreme Tactician of the Hierarch Army, and held the position even during the initial persecution of the Drones. Its reasoning was that if a Worker were to take charge, mercy would be the least of its worries. In the Drone's eyes, it may have helped murder hundreds, but it probably saved thousands. Unfortunately, when the Drone was executed for suspected treason (after deleting files to save its mate, a Worker named Lek), its military personality was not welcomed by the others. At first, Grub was the only one who supported its high rank (even though Ty took the Drone's job), but soon even those two were not seeing eye to eye. It wasn't much of a surprise either, being Grub has an extreme appreciation for morality and doing the right thing. This was contrary to Ty's belief of discipline, efficiency, and individual honor. In the end, Duster and Swift actually support their new leader more than anyone, as much as it Swift pretends not to cooperate (hence the glare)
Bottem left is Swift, the mischievous thief that can't keep its mouth shut. Before it was a thief, the Drone was an operator and communications developer, which is where it acquired its talents for breaking securities and hacking systems. The only Drone to ever steal a military grade vehicle, acquire Hierarch level, classified documents, and the only living Formic to piss off both the Hierarchy and resistance simultaneously. What made this Drone so troubled was a series of unfortunate events during the time that led up to the war. Losing its potential mate, getting thrown into prison for "crimes against the state", and nearly dying in a brawl that claimed the last person it had any emotional connection with, the Drone became lonely and depressed. Unlike most Drones, Swift channeled that disgust toward its abilities, escaped, and has been bouncing between prison camps and debris fields since. When the Drone died, the resistance reluctantly added it to squad, ONLY for its impressive infiltration skills.... that's it. Of course, dealing with the other aspects of Swift can be quite annoying, as you can see with Ty's disapproval of Swift's lounging (and blocking Ty's face)
Scratch is middle-left, peaking over the other's shoulder. Scratch probably has the most interesting story of all, beginning as the single most influential Drone ever to live and ending as a lab rat for the foreign humans. Where and who the humans are extends beyond the Drone's perception, and this is a big deal considering its more well-known name, "Prophet". When the persecution began and Scratch was imprisoned, the humans immediately began to pick at the creature's brain, sending it through some of the most torturous experiments. On top of all that, when needles weren't being poked through its neck, it faced the torment of Khet, a Hierarch, while serving as its servant (pretty much a slave worker). The constant punishment and neglect left the once brilliant mind of a mathematician shattered, and now only hints of its genius seep through the childish antics of its insanity.
Scout is middle-right. Fitting enough, the blind Drone, once the pupil of Scratch (who was known as Prophet at the time), became extremely close to its former teacher. Actually, Scout was not aware who Scratch was from all the scars when their relationship first blossomed, but it is very likely that Scratch knew all along. What probably cemented their adoration of one another is their similarity in being lab rats. Scout was the first to be introduced into the program, and received every experimental program they had developed. This is why the Drone can see in all wavelengths of light, seen using sonar, as well as touch (using vibrations). To compensate for inaccuracies, its nano-cells usually incorporate multiple visual fields, like combining visual with infrared to gain a clear picture.
Top left is Grub, my favorite character if I had to choose. Grub is a scholar at heart who grew up studying the alien humans of Earth. Though the Hierarchy decided never to make direct contact with the humans, or even visit the planet at all, Grub found ways to gather detailed information about the newly discovered species.
Top center is Duster, the quiet, yet handy Desert Drone. Little is known about Duster's past other than it was a Desert Drone that lived in a small village. Fluent in the normal and desert variation of the Formic tongue, Duster's talents for language are hidden behind a shy, withdrawn personality. Rarely does the Drone speak, but when it does, every word has a worth far greater than any novel. What they also discover is Duster's knack for technology, which is something of a surprise considering its roots. Duster is the only one to wear clothing, mostly because in the deserts they are accustomed to wearing such as protection from the violent sandstorms (hence the helmet). When the war began, they immediately noticed the Drone's potential as a spy, and inserted it into Hierarch camps to keep tabs on their treatment of prisoners. Unfortunately, this ultimately cost the Drone its life, but it was resurrected for its merits and included into the squad.
Top right (and my worst face yet of a Drone) is Ty, the leader of the group. Ty was the Supreme Tactician of the Hierarch Army, and held the position even during the initial persecution of the Drones. Its reasoning was that if a Worker were to take charge, mercy would be the least of its worries. In the Drone's eyes, it may have helped murder hundreds, but it probably saved thousands. Unfortunately, when the Drone was executed for suspected treason (after deleting files to save its mate, a Worker named Lek), its military personality was not welcomed by the others. At first, Grub was the only one who supported its high rank (even though Ty took the Drone's job), but soon even those two were not seeing eye to eye. It wasn't much of a surprise either, being Grub has an extreme appreciation for morality and doing the right thing. This was contrary to Ty's belief of discipline, efficiency, and individual honor. In the end, Duster and Swift actually support their new leader more than anyone, as much as it Swift pretends not to cooperate (hence the glare)
Bottem left is Swift, the mischievous thief that can't keep its mouth shut. Before it was a thief, the Drone was an operator and communications developer, which is where it acquired its talents for breaking securities and hacking systems. The only Drone to ever steal a military grade vehicle, acquire Hierarch level, classified documents, and the only living Formic to piss off both the Hierarchy and resistance simultaneously. What made this Drone so troubled was a series of unfortunate events during the time that led up to the war. Losing its potential mate, getting thrown into prison for "crimes against the state", and nearly dying in a brawl that claimed the last person it had any emotional connection with, the Drone became lonely and depressed. Unlike most Drones, Swift channeled that disgust toward its abilities, escaped, and has been bouncing between prison camps and debris fields since. When the Drone died, the resistance reluctantly added it to squad, ONLY for its impressive infiltration skills.... that's it. Of course, dealing with the other aspects of Swift can be quite annoying, as you can see with Ty's disapproval of Swift's lounging (and blocking Ty's face)
Scratch is middle-left, peaking over the other's shoulder. Scratch probably has the most interesting story of all, beginning as the single most influential Drone ever to live and ending as a lab rat for the foreign humans. Where and who the humans are extends beyond the Drone's perception, and this is a big deal considering its more well-known name, "Prophet". When the persecution began and Scratch was imprisoned, the humans immediately began to pick at the creature's brain, sending it through some of the most torturous experiments. On top of all that, when needles weren't being poked through its neck, it faced the torment of Khet, a Hierarch, while serving as its servant (pretty much a slave worker). The constant punishment and neglect left the once brilliant mind of a mathematician shattered, and now only hints of its genius seep through the childish antics of its insanity.
Scout is middle-right. Fitting enough, the blind Drone, once the pupil of Scratch (who was known as Prophet at the time), became extremely close to its former teacher. Actually, Scout was not aware who Scratch was from all the scars when their relationship first blossomed, but it is very likely that Scratch knew all along. What probably cemented their adoration of one another is their similarity in being lab rats. Scout was the first to be introduced into the program, and received every experimental program they had developed. This is why the Drone can see in all wavelengths of light, seen using sonar, as well as touch (using vibrations). To compensate for inaccuracies, its nano-cells usually incorporate multiple visual fields, like combining visual with infrared to gain a clear picture.
Category Artwork (Traditional) / Portraits
Species Alien (Other)
Size 1178 x 1508px
File Size 1.44 MB
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