Michael Siemsen - Exigency

“Eeahso is in hiding,” Aether replied.

Unhkte pointed to another. “Hiding somewhere you know?”

Aether had expected this line of questioning, but hadn’t formulated a definitive response. She had figured she’d wing it.

She’d said her piece and decided to move on. They could return to it after, if still insistent. “The second subject is that of stranded Syons People. Across the sea, in the place you call Hynka Country, three of our people got lost, ending up in this dangerous place. Our flying machines can travel far, but not so far as the sea. We wish not to endanger Threck lives in addition to our own, so we’re not asking for any of your people to come ashore. Your afvrik would stop as soon as land is in sight. We would require three to six days to find and return with our people, and then be transported back across the sea.”

The Thinkers chatted quietly amongst themselves, motioning to Unhkte that this subject “Is not ours.”

Unhkte addressed Aether. “This request is not for Thinkers group. Afvrik are tool of Fishing group. Your third subject?”

“The third was previously introduced by Tom, but never answered—”

“Request to build city in Threck Country,” Unhkte interrupted. “This was delegated by the Council to the Thinkers for consideration and advisement. This is why all await continuation of questioning. We must have all information prior to submitting our advice.”

Aether glanced at Tom, irritation creeping from the back of her head to her temples. She turned back to Unhkte. “The Thinkers must know what garb we wear in our homes? This is how you will come to your decision on whether to allow my people to survive or to turn us away?”

Unhkte seemed to stammer. “This is not only… This is one of many… It was well-thought question…” She leaned close to Aether, normally droopy eyes wide with intensity.

“Allow,” Unhkte muttered.

The sound had been inaudible to Aether, but Livetrans picked it up. Aether didn’t know what it was supposed to mean.

“If one of your people…” Aether began again, “… happened upon Syons People land, became lost, and lay in the sun, drying out, dying, would you find it reasonable for us to ask one hundred questions and deliberate before deciding whether to apply shade and water?”

“Syons People are not dying,” Unhkte countered for all to hear, and gestured for Aether to let her continue.

“Yes we are!” Tom blared from his PA. Aether raised a hand to protest, but paused. “Angela, the one with me at the Council, was killed by Skinny just two nights ago. In Hynka Country, there are three more of us who could suffer the same fate from creatures your people know well. They are, right now, lying in the sun without water or shade, waiting for this group to decide if they live or die.”

The assembly’s movements revealed an even mix of confusion, alarm, pity, and thirst. All this talk of dry and hot…

Unhkte was silent.

Aether elected to resume. “In exchange for Threck help with these matters, Syons People will use our knowledge of small life to resurrect your lost kee, make new kee, and establish new fshkee where we can ensure the kee thrives. This we offer because we are in Threck Country, and while Syons People may live here temporarily—if permitted—it is Threck who must live on, flourish, and grow your city.”

Unhkte peered around the room, observing the group’s feedback as she slid around the circular pool.

TOM: Well-thought, well-said.

A rare eye hide from Unhkte as she completed her lap and stood to face Aether and Tom. Another whispered address, intended only for them. “You should have allowed me to help.” She backed away and resumed full volume for the entire room. “The Thinkers consider the logic of things. All pieces. You wish not to provide these pieces. If I am dying—unshaded and dry beneath your symbol sun—I do not attempt to set conditions of my rescue. As you stand nearby with shade and water, I do whatever is required of me—all that I am still able to accomplish—to satisfy your requirements for help.”

“Of course—” Aether attempted, cut off with a wave from Unhkte.

“You wish to trade life for life,” Unhkte went on. “You offer kee—substantial trade if the very foundation of our people were destroyed—but the risk of single fshkee was recognized long ago. There are many fshkee, all full of ample kee. Our people are in no danger of vanishing. Thus, it would seem to the Thinkers that Syons People need many things from Threck, but Threck need nothing from Syons People.”

Minnie’s paired skimmers hovered over the Hynka bone shrine, drifting right while rotating counterclockwise. Beyond the tiered rock wall, the rumble of stampeding Hynka grew louder, their shrieks and hissy, throaty calls echoing over the snaps and crashes of innocent vegetation. Minnie yanked her eyes from the mesmerizing, unfathomable sight of Ish, up to the unpromising view of a thrashing jungle canopy. Reaching Ish before the first of the horde arrived would be impossible. Her gaze returned to Ish and she began recording, zooming in to capture the details before taking her leave.

The Hynka had been meticulous. From the near-perfect circle Ish’s body formed, like a serial killer’s Christmas wreath, Minnie guessed that every one of her former colleague’s bones had been pulverized—crushed to tiny bits and powder. All but her head. Aside from a few bruises and lacerations, and missing clumps of hair torn from her scalp, Ish’s head was intact, set right-side-up at the grisly circle’s six o’clock, her blackened neck stretched and twisted and folded like a deflated tire. She’d been stripped nude, her suit shredded into the thin bands used to truss her devastated body and to bind her wrists to her ankles, forming the circle. And finally, the display: raised and suspended there by three bundles of multicolored wire at 10, 12, and 2 o’clock. The wire had to be from the missing EV.

Hectic movement entered Minnie’s peripheral. Ten more seconds—five to be safe. She needed to know if it was still there… zooming closer, closer still, a quaking view of Ish’s nearly shut, drooping right eyelid. Spectrum switch to mag. A glowing green ball appeared inside the yellow housing mounted to the ocular cavity. Ish’s fone was still in there, and from the looks of it, intact.

Bits of sandstone dust trickled from cracks in the rock and Minnie heard the thumping beat of too-close Hynka footfalls. Without wasting a second to glance left, Minnie throttled the skimmer up and right, the high g-force testing her subopt muscles and sore knees. She returned her optics to default as she ascended, glimpsing the amassing crowd of vexed Hynka below, arms thrust upward as if to pull her back down with some invisible line. Others scaled the tiers of chiseled blocks toward the Ish wreath. Minnie held at 60 meters and watched, hoping they’d leave the body alone.

Upon reaching the fourth level, the first Hynka reached up to Ish’s body and gingerly poked an exposed armpit.

Yup, she’s still there, buddy. All’s good. Head on home now, y’hear? Take your friends.

Two more joined the first below Ish, reaching up to touch her, but met with “no picking at the cake” swats from the first. All three turned their attention to the strange white object in the sky, probably yearning to snatch another orange-suited wall decoration.

Minnie zoomed back in. These three behaved unlike the frantic crowd still beating their way through the jungle to be directly under her. They simply stared. There had been composed ones like this when she and John had first touched down, their bronze eyes exuding measured intensity, implying a chilling intellect. Had the horde captured Ish due to her lunacy eclipsing any remnants of good sense, or had they somehow outwitted her? It’d be foolish for Minnie to consider her own survival skills among these creatures to be more worthy than Ish’s, especially while she lacked the Hynka specialist’s research catalogue.