Missing bees
I gasped.
"What? What happened? Was there an attack? Are you alright?"
My eyes already checked the bee over. The red cross on her head meant she was a Sergeant, and as for her status…
〔Forager Bee〕 〔Ally〕 〔Progeny〕
〔Name〕: B1054
〔Active title〕: Warrior Bee
〔Health〕: 11 / 11
〔Stamina〕: 8 / 11
〔Species〕: Common Honey Bee
〔Age〕: 42 d
〔Remaining lifespan〕: 110 d
〔Attributes〕
> Strength: 9
> Agility: 44
> Endurance: 10
> Defense: 9
> Intelligence: 100
> Perception: 43
〔Special abilities〕
Flight, Barbed Stinger, Wax Production
〔Genes〕
Enhanced Intelligence X, Increased Lifespan I
〔〕〔〕〔〕
Seeing that she wasn't wounded, I relaxed a little.
B1054 stood straighter.
"Father, we've just finished counting each other this evening—and there's an entire squad that's missing! We, Sergeant Warriors, counted each other, and B1032 wasn't here. She and her squad never returned from their patrol. And their hammers are gone, too!"
"What?" I frowned. "And other patrols didn't see what could've happened with them?"
B1054 shook her head.
"No. But some ants could've gone past our borders. And the hammers of these Warrior Bees are still missing!"
Ants?
The training for my Foremen Bees was almost complete!
I checked my colony's status.
〔Your colony〕
〔Wellness〕: 83 %
〔Population〕: 24 thousand
〔Development level〕: 2
〔Development points〕: 19 / 100
〔Species〕: Common Honey Bee
〔Attributes〕
> Workpower: 15
> Military: 12
> Brainpower: 97
> Logistics: 16
> Resilience: 8
〔Resources〕:
> Food: 27 units
> Building materials: 7 units
〔Technologies〕
Dance Communication
Hive Building
Food Preservation
Stone Hammers
Forager Posts
Rank-Based Hierarchy
Primitive Containers
Border Patrols
Primitive Knives
〔〕〔〕〔〕
27 units of food—the number stayed still for the last couple of days. Surely, these stores will hold until the Foremen Bee training was fully complete. There were only a few days left!
Meanwhile, the Craftsmen Bees in the workshop exchanged worried glances, then began whispering among each other.
"That's ten hammers, isn't it?"
"Should we make new ones, then? I'd like to experiment with string."
"But what Father was about to say earlier? What if that's more important?"
"I like making hammers, but wouldn't it be more interesting to make a hammer… with rocks on both ends?"
B1054 looked at the Craftsmen Bees.
"Hey, don't you have special Material Foragers to look for things? Maybe these foragers can search for the lost hammers, Father? Eleven hammers—that's a lot of them to lose!"
"Hey, wait a second!" I pointed four accusing fingers at the four nearest bees. "You should be more worried that ten Warrior Bees disappeared without a trace! I know *I* am very worried."
"They must've died." B1054 shrugged, then hurriedly waved her arms. "Father, I mean… We still have enough Warrior Bees to patrol regularly. But hammers, they are hammers. They are precious. A bee can only sting once, but a hammer can hit many times."
She hugged her own hammer to her chest.
All my Craftsmen Bees nodded to B1054's words, as if they were the wisest thing they've ever heard.
I narrowed my eyes.
"Wait, aren't *you* that one bee who lost her previous hammer in the storm, B1054? Is that why you care so much?"
I knew that number was familiar.
"F-father! But—I just don't want to lose any more hammers!" B154 cried out.
She abandoned all pretense of being a stoic soldier and looked at me with eyes ready to tear up.
Never had I ever seen a bee—even in this world—cry. And I didn't want to start.
"Calm down!" I declared, both to B1054 and myself. "Nobody is blaming anybody! Just don't cry, and we will solve all this."
B1054 stood straighter and opened her eyes very wide.
The Craftsmen Bees went very still.
The silence lasted for a few seconds. My thoughts gradually returned to the *actual* matter at hand.
"Whatever killed an entire patrol, it had to be *big*."
Ten of my daughters were just… gone.
"Eleven hammers aren't important. B1054, tomorrow, you will go on the first patrol and take two extra squads with you. Spread around a little, but close enough to see each other. Look for traces of your lost sisters. Try to find what and who happened with them, and whether this thing will threaten any more bees."
B1054 nodded.
"I understand, Father. And what if we meet the thing that killed the patrol?"
"Fly away! At least, *someone* must tell the rest of the hive what happened and who's at fault. If it comes into our territory unseen and starts killing even more… This can't happen."
'30 of them can deal with whatever it was, or at least scare it off,' I convinced myself. 'Nothing big enough to kill a bee without giving her a chance to retaliate will bother to actually attack!'
B1054 raised her hammer.
"I understand, Father. We will protect the colony and the Queen! And you. And we will find the hammers, too!"
My face suddenly was *so* tired. I rubbed it with my palms.
"Don't let the hammer become a lifelong trauma, B1054…" Although with her lifespan, that trauma won't last even four months. "Now go."
She flew off as quickly as she appeared.
I turned back to my Craftsmen Bees.
"So, where was I?"
"The queue! What do we have to do first?"
Oh, that.
"Just make more string. Make string until… Until I tell you to stop. We will need a lot. Work hard… but you always work hard. And don't worry about the thing B1054 said. We will solve everything."
No other option was allowed!
"Yes, Father!" my bees exclaimed.
I nodded and prepared to wait anxiously for the return of my scouting Warrior Bees.