Chapter 15 - 4000 hammers

When I found them, my Craftsmen Bees were huddled on the hive cave floor next to a pile of bark and branches, studiously making more hammers. Each bee worked their four hands with impressive precision. Each bee worked like one and a half human workers!

But they could be more organized.

"Girls, good morning and good news. The times are changing, and you are now Sergeant Craftsmen! You can draw dots on your foreheads to show off your rank."

The Craftsmen Bees dropped what they were doing and stared at me with wide, curious eyes.

"Father! What are you talking about?"

"Ranks? Is this a new smart-thing? Are we going to make them?"

I beamed—ah, now *that* was a grateful audience!—and began to talk.

It took no time at all for my listeners to understand the concept, as well as their next task—to train 100 line Craftsmen Bees from the younger bees.

"But there's more, girls! This floor is hard and dirty—you shouldn't work here. Cleaning Bees don't clear it very hard, you know. Instead, each Sergeant Craftsman should claim a dozen honeycomb cells somewhere close to the entrance and just remove all walls between them. You know, like the Queen's chambers?"

The bees nodded.

While I was absorbed in talking, they stealthily gathered closer. Any more, and they'd be stepping on my toes—that was how much they were hungry for my knowledge.

'They care more than any other type of bee. That's decided, they are my favorite! But in secret.'

"Make yourselves workshops there—special rooms where you will work. I will also direct special Forager Bees to you, who will bring you materials you want and put them nearby. And when you are done with training and workshops, you must make 4440 hammers for all the new Foremen Bees."

I briefly considered earlier to invent knives or spears first, but changed my mind.

Most insects had chitin armor that already proved vulnerable to hammers. While sharp weapons would just slide away and deal much less damage.

The predators of bees evolved defenses against their stingers. This is just how nature worked.

"Four… thousand?" a Craftsman Bee asked, "That's a lot, right, Father?"

"Will you teach us to count this far?"

"Uh… Shit, sorry, I don't have time yet. But… I know what will help you keep count! Just let me bring something real quick."

I stormed away into the hive and returned five minutes later with ten small wax tablets. I had an entire stash of them in my room by now.

"You can count to 20, right?" I asked the Craftsmen Bees. When they all nodded, I gave a wax tablet to each bee.

"For each twenty hammers your subordinates make, poke a hole in one of these squares. When each of them has 20 holes, you will make 4000 hammers. Then clear one tablet and make 20 more holes. And 2 more."

10*20*20=4000. 20*20=400. 20*2=40.

The bees nodded slowly. I could *see* the gears turning behind their insect-like black eyes.

"Just put all the finished hammers all in the same place so they don't get lost. Or give them directly to Foremen Bees. You can ask the Chief Foremen about how many bees still need hammers."

When I was sure the Craftsmen Bees understood, I flitted away like the busy bee I was.

Making 4000 hammers required more than time and working hands. I needed to ensure we had the materials first!

As of now, a few dozen Forager Bees were regularly asked to bring hammer materials to the hive. They often forgot about their assigned tasks, brought wrong things, and barely gathered enough materials for only 10 Craftsmen Bees.

This was about to change.

The oldest smart bees by now were about 18 days old, which meant they were Builder Bees. I easily found them among bees that repaired damaged honeycomb cells and gathered wax that was produced by glands on their yellow-and-black striped tails.

The colony needed the results of their work, but it could spare a hundred.

I flew to a bee who was smoothening the walls of a honeycomb cell and waved at her.

"Hey, Builder Bee! Please, come with me—there's an important task for you!"

The bee turned to me, only to go right back to repairs.

"I already have a task. Can't you see, Drone?"

"Hey, don't you know what I am? Everybody knows that I only say important and correct things!"

The bee nodded.

"I know you are a Drone Bee. And you speak strange, so you might be ill in your head. But this is for the Queen to think about."

I gaped.

What an indulgent life I had until now—the life of interacting mostly with bees who already knew my importance (because Ambrosia told them)! And this bee…

She was just like her mother! I pouted.

"Fine. I will come back later, and you will change your mind."

Today was the right day, anyway. The day when I will have some 'Horizontal Gene Transfer' with Ambrosia and test all that extra stamina!

***

Because of my, and then Ambrosia's, extra stamina, I only had time to return to my task the next day. She *really* made use of the 20% extra virility my title gave me.

Now the Builder Bees called me "Queen". Then "Father" when I corrected them. I gathered a dozen.

"Girls, you were going to become Forager Bees soon, but now, you will become Material Foragers instead! Sergeant Material Foragers, even! You will forage not for food, but for crafting materials, and report to Sergeant Craftsmen."