Chrysalis

Deep in the second strata, a furious scout was running as if all the demons of the third were after its delicious abdomen. She had left her relay station thirty minutes ago and was almost out of gas, her mutations specialised in speed, not so much endurance. It was a close run thing, she staggered the last few steps, her stamina finally spent, but that was as intended. The Colony knew exactly how far she could run, just as far as every other scout in the chain, and she passed on her message successfully before being taken to a chamber to rest, another ant dispatched to take her place in the relay.

Word spread quickly, the pheromones filling the nest within minutes. There was no fear, only grim determination, and in the case of Leeroy, desperate hope.

"The Golgari are coming," Victor announced.

"Those rock-heads are late, I was almost getting bored," Burke said.

"We've got a lot to do," Victor shook her antennae, "almost too much. Even with the extra time, we still aren't ready. The new nests aren't fully fortified, our number of tier four combat castes isn't high enough and the core shapers aren't back yet. I'm worried."

"What about the Eldest?" Coolant asked, "what do we know about their status?"

"Runner came in a few minutes ago," Burke told her sister, "Eldest got tangled with something in the depths and is on the way back. Next runner should have better information."

"If it's a second invasion force," Victor muttered.

"Plan for the worst, hope for the best," Burke slapped her on the thorax with one antenna, "that's what we keep you generals around for, right?"

"Thanks," Victor grumbled, "leave all the planning to us, as usual. How did this happen anyway? It's not like the generals have the highest Cunning stat of the castes…"

The three council members turned to look at the corner of the grand meeting chamber. As if sensing their gaze, Cobalt looked up from the stone model she'd been crafting in the stone.

at me!" she protested. "We've got enough on our plate trying shore up the

working on

in the relay stations. That way we won't need runners, giving us a faster

considered for a

up the good work." She turned to the other two. "I'll get back to planning then. No way in heck I could work

to what you're good at," Burke replied, "speaking of, I'd better check in with the stations. If things go according to plan, we should

confirmed what they already knew, and drew a more detailed

to be

"No," Cobalt replied.

"So why is it?"

we could," the carver

Golgari force that's five times the size of what pursued us when we rescued the Eldest. Not to mention, initial scout reports state that from what they've

proper soldiers," Leeroy leaned forward in her chair until her eyes were nearly pressed into the model. "I can't wait to

be waiting a long time,"

"What was that?"

draw

to indicate a particular section of tunnel at

where our mapping teams have explored, but their last known position what at the end of this tunnel branch. Reports are still sketchy, but the Eldest informed the relay scouts that an

our forces to defend in depth evenly across the two known fronts. Information is

returned from the field, the second scout council member cleaned her antennae, still dusty

two forces, but we still don't have eyes on the second. From what we see of the