[We need more of this. As soon as you can get it.] … [Uh, okay? Maybe take it out of my face a little so I can see it?] An unusually forceful and intent Enid is waving something in my face with shaking hands. As soon as I waddled my way into the village someone had gone to fetch her …

The rare core sat on the ground in front of me and I knew it was time to pay the piper. As much as I’d derived a strange sense of joy forcing the hatchlings to absorb a special core, this process seriously hurts. I’ve already maxed out my core AND absorbed a special core. If I absorb this rare core, …

The hatchlings are herded into my chamber where Tiny is instructed to keep a keen eye on the situation whilst I go to find Vibrant and see what the situation with the workers is like. I find Vibrant hovering around the two hundred larvae that recently hatched, fetching chunks of food that my class had brought in and just dumping …

After speaking to the Queen I took my class down into the farms for further instruction. I honestly can’t say what Mother was thinking when I spoke to her, she seemed a mix of happy and mad. I have to say, I was quite nervous talking to her. I mean, how am I supposed to know how she would feel …

Sensation returned to the Queen in increments. A leg twitched, then one of her antenna crackled into life, overloading her fuzzed mind with sensory information she wasn’t ready to process. As she drowsed, the feeling of change, of difference, rose within her. Even without being fully alert she knew that she was not the same as she had been when …

After a couple of hours I was able to get the hatchlings to operate in a reasonable way. The first few enemies we defeated with acid and then let the little workers chow down after I’d dragged the Biomass clear of the farm. They ran out of acid quickly though and I was forced to incapacitate the prey before letting …

“Ok. Let’s try this again. The enemy is down there. We can see them, we are in a superior position where they cannot fight back. All of the advantages are ours. So, what are you going to do? What is your strategy?” The twenty hatchlings and I are positioned in one of the original four farms, clinging to the ceiling …

As the voices of the new hatchlings ring throughout the room, and I start to wonder just what it is that I’ve done, another voice sounds within my mind. [Original Species has been detected. New species type has been assigned.] Gandalf?! What the heck are you on about?! Is he saying that the new hatchlings are recognised by the system …

With my delivery done I head back to the nest to await the looming emergence of my finest creations. These ants could change many things. For one it would be nice to have more options for conversation. Vibrant talks, probably too much for my comfort, and mother has many responsibilities, not to mention many children, so I can’t exactly monopolise …

After slumping back into our chamber and putting Vibrant on guard duty, it was time for me to spend my newly amassed wealth. The last few days have been extremely productive, both for the colony and the village, not to mention the significant gains I’ve made within my own personal strength. The knowledge that I’ve gained has proven itself to …