Chrysalis

“None of you were able to stop The Queen from moving down here? She wants to fight! Like… really fight!”

“There’s not much we can do to stop her when she gets it in her mind to do something,” Theresant tells me. “She decided it would be better for the family if she fought more rather than prioritised laying eggs. Since she is one of the strongest fighters in the Colony, it’s difficult to say that she’s wrong.”

“She probably isn’t wrong,” Advant replies, the big soldier clacking her mandibles morosely. “There’s a lot The Queen can offer in battle, and she knows it.”

Each member of the Council sinks into their, now cushioned, ant seats. I don't know who’s out there designing ant furniture, but they’re definitely making serious improvements to their designs. I know it’s difficult, considering most of us are different sizes, even subtly different shapes, depending on mutations. The designer has solved this problem by using more flexible materials and including generous padding. Of course, my chair had to be built custom.

“Ultimately, I guess it doesn’t matter,” I sigh. “Mother is going to do whatever she thinks is best for the family, regardless of what we have to say about it. What we need to do is try to figure out how we’re going to keep her alive.”

Sloan and Victor briefly confer before reporting back to the group.

“If she asks us where she would be best deployed, or consults with any of the generals coordinating the fighting, then we can influence where she goes and what she fights, but if she doesn’t…”

“She absolutely won’t,” I tell them.

“Well… then there isn’t much we can do in terms of picking her battles.”

The Queen is old school. She’s not interested in any of this organised combat stuff. She’s going to wander around, following trails until she finds something to chomp. Wait…

“Is there any chance we can control what scent trails she comes across? Remember, The Queen was fighting right back at the start of the Colony. She probably laid down most of the trails outside the first nest herself. That’s the way she’ll get to the frontline, by following the trails.”

and Wills,

trails will be difficult, Eldest,” Burke tells

complex system of trails laid down in the tunnels below. It’s one

taken without authorization; if you see

much. Just change the name of one of the more out of the way fronts

think she would fall for

“... Maybe?”

if she was here, she would hit you

she would! I’ll take a few thwacks if it means

member of this family, the very first one, and the only ant every single one of us can trace our

mean, mine also, but the Colony’s

think our best bet is to simply reinforce whichever front

going to do that,” Victor says, almost offended. “We have a battalion

isn’t much more to say about The Queen problem, as vexing as it is. I turn my attention to the next problem

tell me why Vibrant

to even look at her directly since she seems to

to reply to me, but all I get is a mangled knot

Vibrant? I didn’t

a mess of scent that lasts probably twice as long as before, but it’s utterly