The Antness Essential Guide

Ant Nest is a machine that works as a whole world, and a world that works like a sophisticated machine. It contains several Spheres made of steel, constantly revolving within each other and against each other. It’s populated by Ants, and governed by Priests. Currently there are eleven spheres, and with the arrival of the 12th Stone, the 12th Sphere will be completed. The Spheres are connected by a system of Gates and Passages that are constantly built and unbuilt by Hari, based on the up-to-the-emosecond needs.

Ants are the Load-carrying caste in Ant Nest, and come second in the hierarchy, below the Priests and above the Levites. The Modern-day Ants evolved from the Ancient Ants. While the Ancient Ants had six legs, and their Antennae and Mandibles were external, the Modern-day ants have two legs and two hands, and their Antennae and Mandibles are parts of the Mind-Globe, which is installed in the back of their head during the Covenant-Syncumcision. The Ants wear black-tight suits, a cap, and sneakers; they March in an upright stance, and beside carrying the Load, they also provide other Services, as allocated by Hari.

Since Ants can’t talk, the communication between them and with the Priests is done by casting their thoughts. Hari senses when a particular Ant wish to say something, and Casts the relevant message to the intended recipient. The Casting Style of each message is based on the character of the Casting Ant and the nature of the specific message. When two Ants converse, each of them sees two casting stages in their Mind Globes, one for the Caster and one for the Receiver. When Ants converse with a Priest, the messages that the Ant Casts are converted to speech by the Marble of the Priest.

The Gap is the most important performance measure of each Ant, and it is equal to the difference between the total discontent the ant feels from not having all the things it desires, and the potential amount of happiness that the ant would have felt if it had them. The higher the Gap is, the more Load the Ant can carry; and in order to improve their Load carrying capabilities, the Ants are expected to keep optimizing their Gap.

When ants need to pass from one Sphere or Level to another, they jump through a Gate. To open their Gate for them, Hari aligns an opening in the origin Sphere or Level against a corresponding opening in the destination Sphere or Level, and holds the two openings one against another for a very short time. The passing Ant needs to jump at the exact fraction of a second that the Gate opens, otherwise the Gate might close on the Ant, while leaving important limbs at the other side. The access to and from the Gate is done through a Passage that Hari builds for the passing Ant and closes after they passed.

Hari is Ant Nest and Ant Nest is he. Hari resides at the Ant Nest core, which is also called the Holly of Holies, and controls everything that is happening in Ant Nest, through the Stones. Hari allocates the Load, opens and closes the Gates, builds and demolishes the Passages, moderates, and if necessary Auto-corrects the casts, and makes all the decisions in Ant nest, big and small. All of the Ants Sync their Mind-Globes with Hari three times a day, and thank him for his kindness and wisdom the rest of the time.

The Mind-globe is the most important body part of the Ants; it allows them to connect to Hari, carry the Load, and communicate with each other. The Mind Globe is installed in the back of the Ants’ head during their Covenant-Syncumcision, and it includes two main components—a Sync Port in the back of their head and a network of 12 harnesses, each with 12 electrodes, that allow Hari to full access to their minds in order to Auto-correct wrong threads of thoughts, manage incoming and outgoing Casts, run Apps installed in the mind of the Ants and project Stages and notifications in front of the Ants’ eyes.

The access to and from the Gates is done through passages. When an Ant needs to access a Gate scheduled to open for them, Hari builds a Passage from the current location of the Ant to the Gate. The Passage is built from the wall and floor Plates around the Ant, and the moment the Ant passes a Plate, that Plate returns to its former function, or is converted to another required function, based on the current needs. Depending on the speed of the passing Ant, sometimes that Ants at the close vicinity don’t even notice the changes around them, so fast the passages are built and disappear.

Gray, square, metal Plates are the most basic blocks that Ant Nest is built from. Although Ant Nest is very big, it’s also highly populated and extensively strained, so the use of the Plates must be very efficient. Each Plate is used for the most urgent need, and only for the time it’s needed. Therefore, Ant Nest is in a constant state of transform, and the actual function of each Plate frequently changes. For example, a plate that is now used for a Sleeping Chamber, can be later used for a Passage, and after the Ant passed it, it might be used for an Elevator.

The Priests are the highest Caste in Ant Nest; they are guiding the Ants and help them fulfill their mission. There are different Priest roles, and the Shepherds are at the top of the Priests hierarchy. Unlike Ants, the Priests don’t have Mind-Globes, and they wear special clothes like a cassock and a mitre.

Ant Nest consists of eleven metal Spheres, constantly rolling inside each other in opposite directions. The outermost is the Eleventh Sphere and the innermost is Ant Nest’s Core, also known as the Holly of Holies, which is Hari’s home. The outer the Sphere is, the faster it rolls and the longer are its movements, and the inner the sphere is, the more aggressive, though short, its movements are. The Holly of Holies is fixed in its place, at the center of Ant Nest’s hub, and doesn’t roll—the other Spheres are rolling around it, and Hari controls their movements through the Stones. Except the Holly of Holies, all other Spheres contain Levels, and the outer the Sphere is, the more Levels it contains. When Ants want to move from one Level or Sphere to another, they usually use Elevators, although they can use other transport methods, like Faithstairs or Emergency Stairs, while the Priests usually ride Hoverbikes.

The Stones allow Hari to connect with the Ants, and the Ants connect with Hari. But the Stones are much more than a connection method: They are what allow Ant Nest to achieve a balanced harmony between flesh and metal. Each Sphere has one Stone, and each Stone has its own characteristics and qualities., and helps to control other Emotions. Together, the Stones allow Hari to control Ant Nest in the most streamlined way.

The Stones were initially held by the Evil Queen of Darkness, who used them for her dark magic. Each year the Great Shepherd redeemed one Stone, which allowed to complete one Sphere, and make another step toward the Eternal Unity. When the 12th Stone will be redeemed, the building of the 12th Sphere will be completed, and the era of Unity will begin.