Michael Siemsen - Exigency

Heshper poked Aether’s chest. “I will leave you here!”

Aether set a hand on her holstered MW. This moron wasn’t going to strand them all here just to bring back a stupid trophy—setting aside the pure absurdity of delivering an unstoppable killing machine to the city. This was now a matter of stubbornness, control, ego.

“Heshper,” Aether said with calmed posture. “Have you felt the skin coating my people are going to make for your entire city? It’s not so hot here, but your skin is visibly drying.”

“I know of it,” Heshper said, indifferent. “Slow-drying mud.”

Aether turned to Pablo, gaze fixed on the shore. “She still okay?”

“Yeah. They’re scoping out some kind of cave.”

“How much of the PJ did you bring?”

“None,” he said. “I… I didn’t know—Hang on! I have a tub of the real stuff in the medkit! From Earth .”

Wide-eyed, Aether beckoned him on. He pulled off his backpack, digging inside a moment before producing a fist-sized canister.

Aether opened it and scooped out a large glob, turning to Heshper. “May I? You should really feel what has the Thinkers and Council so eager for us to return and start making more.”

Heshper’s eyes popped in and out before slowly presenting an arm. Aether applied a thick layer to the driest area. The other Threck moved closer, beguiled.

“So you see?” Aether continued. “This is all we have left of it, but when we get back— all of us—we will deliver cartloads .”

“How does it feel?” an eager crewmember inquired.

Heshper touched it with her opposite club, held it up to a siphon hole. “Unpleasant scent.” She rubbed some more, spreading the edges thinner to reach uncoated flesh. “Better than mud… perhaps.”

Aether seized the moment. “Note the deep penetration, not just surface coating. While you consider, Pablo and I are going to discuss how to safely retrieve our friends.” She stepped away, yet containing her fury.

Twelve more days to relish with this jerk.

It was too bad this had to be Minnie’s first encounter with these people.

Aether joined Pablo on the humming skimmer. It was still on. “How is she?” She scanned the beach. The afvrik was much closer to shore—under 300m. No sign of Minnie or Hynka.

“Dark rhombus below rusty rock there. They’re inside. It’s not deep. I can see them all. She’s been conversing the whole time, back and forth. She looks like a real estate agent showing monsters an open house. What do we do? Nervous about just skimming on in there. No clue how the things’ll react.”

Minnie and one of the Hynka stepped out of the cave, side by side, into the sunlight. She looked so tiny beside it. Behind her, the other two emerged, looming above Minnie’s head like gorillas with a kitten. She trusted them enough to walk before them—to turn her back. Aether’s smile returned. Of course she’d established her own first contact.

“ She’ll know.”

Aether went to max mag once more—Minnie’s body filling her view from helmet top to waist, as if she stood but a few steps away. She was looking up at the fur-clad Hynka beside her, elaborate hand gestures though her mouth wasn’t moving. Livetrans talking through her PA.

Aether set her focus directly on Minnie’s face, held her breath, eyes wide, no blinking, and sent a Direct Connect request.

Minnie’s head popped back, eyes fluttering as if someone had flicked water in her face. Her head spun toward the sea, eyes hunting, shoulders rotating, a hand brought up to block the sun, her gaze passing Aether by, a blink, and there was the look. Stunned. Comprehending. Searching again, and then… eye contact. There she was. Awed, her hands went to cover her mouth, abruptly blocked by her helmet and visor. She glanced down, confused, and then looked back up at Aether, laughing, knowing she’d seen the blunder.

The DC, my love…

Minnie shook out her face, put her hands on top of her helmet, and began pacing just as the DC acceptance toned in Aether’s ear, and an instant later, the first M.

MINNIE: No wrds

MINNIE: o.M

MINNIE: OMG

AETHER: Well hello, stranger.

MINNIE: GET THE EFF OVER HERE, YOU.

MINNIE: Before I swim out there. I swear I will.

AETHER: You made some new friends…

With a start, Minnie turned to the Hynka, squinted at the two afvrik, and then spoke to the three seemingly confused brutes. Aether watched and waited. First one, then the other two, looked out to the water, one lifting a meaty, two-fingered hand to block the sun as Minnie had. Their eyes found the floating things, chock full of strange people and foreign things, and their mouths moved, no doubt with many questions.

“Syons People!” someone suddenly shouted. Aether observed that one of the crew had lost interest in Heshper and the cream, and had spotted Minnie among the Hynka.

Others flooded back to the front.

“It’s with the Hynka!”

“They are friends!”

Heshper climbed onto the skimmer—only she felt so bold—and surveyed the scene on the beach.

“Syons People,” Heshper began, “ talk to Hynka. Friends. This is why we mustn’t capture. Or…” Heshper took a frightened step backward. “Or have we been brought to Hynka? Syons People trade cream with Threck. What do Syons People trade with Hynka so they do not kill?”

“That’s nonsense,” Aether replied. “We’re just as surprised as you are that they didn’t kill our friend on sight. Just calm down, keep us right here, and wait for our friend to let us know when it’s safe.”

“We will not wait. The Thinkers and Council certainly knew nothing of these.”

“Yeah yeah yeah,” Aether murmured, sending Minnie a new M.

AETHER: We’ve got some jumpy Threck over here. You’re buddies going to scram or what? Tell me what we should do.

Heshper called, “Bring in the ropes and net!”

Aether and Pablo fell forward, catching themselves with the skimmer console. Heshper had her arms buried in the afvrik’s slits and was reversing away from land.

On shore, the two healthier Hynka helped the third, all three hobbling south, away from Minnie.

Aether pointed ashore. “See that? They’re running away! They want nothing to do with Syons People.”

MINNIE: All clear. My camp is inland. Tons of supplies. Or should I leave them? I honestly don’t care at this point.

AETHER: Where’s John? Ish?

Aether watched Minnie’s face turn grim, head turning with a slow no-nod.

MINNIE: It’s just me.

How… how… How could he be gone? Truly gone?

AETHER: Are you sure?

A stupid question. Of course she was sure.

Aether fought to maintain. Her face wanted nothing more than to shrivel and hide.

MINNIE: Yes. I’m so sorry.

She forced her eyes open. Focus on Minnie, alive, so close.

MINNIE: I have something to give you from him.

Poor Minnie. Poor John. Ish.

“Aether?” Pablo was freaked. Something was happening.

Someone grabbed Aether’s arm. A surge of tentacles converging.

What the hell?

Behind the M screen, a set of Livetrans.

“Throw them off! They wish to feed us to Hynka! Push them, quickly!”

In seconds, her legs were hauled out from under her, body raised in the air, and then hurled, crashing into the sea. Painfully cold water flooded into her unsealed visor, the weight of her suit and pack pulling her under. She slapped the visor shut, pressed it tight, and the inflow stopped. But the water level was already above her nose. It was like an icepack against the bottom half of her face. She hadn’t been able to snatch a full breath, and the impact had knocked out a fair amount.