Worry

Compared to the broodmother who was about a hundred metres long, Richard was as small as an ant. He walked over to a large tree and tapped its bark, “You made these too?”

“Yes, Master. I used my analysis of the trees of life to create them; they’re quite simple, and just like my worker drones they can reproduce on their own. It doesn’t affect the number of units I can produce regularly.”

“Hmm… What for?”

“Food, and relatively efficient as well. Let me show you.” Several worker drones flew out and landed on one of the tree’s thick branches, stingers digging deep into the wood before their abdomens quickly swelled up. A transparent liquid flowed out of the holes they left behind, dropping down to the ground below.

Richard grabbed a drop out of the air and tasted it, finding it nauseatingly sweet. It wasn’t the most pleasant of sustenance,...