by S. H. Jucha
Étienne sent.
Alain added.
Étienne sent.
While Nyslara was alone with her thoughts, she felt the twins’ hands on her shoulder, as they passed her in the aisle. They were exiting the traveler to catch their rides to return to their squadrons.
“My thought, my mate,” Pussiro said, “is that Choslora and you make your announcements to Neemtasa and return to the traveler. Distribution could become frantic. We can’t risk this nest being exposed to a new queen.”
“Understood and acceptable,” Nyslara replied. “Let’s make our intentions known.”
Posnossa objected.
Nyslara knew that she didn’t have the right to dictate to Posnossa. So, she tried for a compromise.
Nyslara with others exited the traveler with fresh tanks. The wind hadn’t abated, and they hurried to the hatch.
Neemtasa and Sossfass had waited in the outpost, hoping for the return of the Omnian Dischnya. When the hatch opened, Sossfass stepped forward in anticipation, and then quickly stepped back as Nyslara and the other Dischnya descended the ladder.
The first thing Neemtasa noticed was the lack of the Dischnya’s protectors, the humans, and her heart quickened.
“Our meeting will be brief, Chona Neemtasa,” Nyslara said. “Our air tanks will not support long visits by a queen. I’m here to set the expectations of Omnian queens and heirs, who are many. Then Choslora and I will be returning to our ship. In our absence, these two wasats, Pussiro and Hessmas, speak for us. Is that understood?”
“It is,” Neemtasa said guardedly.
“Good,” Nyslara said, with an approving chuff. “A ship has arrived from Omnia. It holds containers of food for your nest, which will be delivered wherever you wish them distributed.”
“What did you bring?” Sossfass asked.
“These are perishables,” Choslora explained. “They must be consumed within a few cycles.”
“No meat?” Sossfass asked.
“Hear my intentions,” Nyslara said, holding up a hand to Sossfass. “This food will satisfy your soma’s immediate need for calories. It’s the first of many shipments. The Omnian queens are anxious to create a long-term plan, Chona Neemtasa, to save your nest. I don’t know what that will look like, but we must be bold in our thinking.”
The Omnian Dischnya watched Neemtasa’s tail curl around her leg. For a queen, it was a sign of humility and submission.
“When was your last contact with other nests?” Hessmas asked.
“We have four that abut our territory,” Sossfass replied. “Two have not challenged us since I was a pup. When I became a warrior, a third executed a weak attack against us, which was easily repelled. The fourth nest sent soma, females and pups, requesting entry to our nest. Chona Ceefan sent them away.”
A subtle growl escaped Neemtasa’s chest at the memory of the treachery. When females and pups sought refuge with a new nest, it was customary that they weren’t turned away by the queen.
“How long ago was this last contact?” Pussiro asked.
“Nearly ten annuals ago,” Neemtasa replied.
“What do you know of nests beyond those that border your territory?” Nyslara asked. “Never mind,” she added, when she watched Neemtasa and Sossfass regard each other, seeking an answer.
“Chona Choslora and I will leave you in the capable hands of our wasats,” Nyslara said. Then the two queens climbed the ladder and exited the outpost. The wasats accepted links to allow the queens to observe the action from their eyes.
“Wasats,” Neemtasa said, addressing the Omnians, “I would accept your recommendations for disbursement of this food.”
“The nearest cavern would be most appropriate, Chona,” Pussiro suggested. “Rather than use our Dischnya, we’ll need many of your warriors to transport the crates.”
Sossfass nodded, barked a command to two waiting sub-commanders, who tore off in opposite directions down the tunnel.
“I’ll go with you, Chona, and the first crates to the cavern,” Pussiro said. “I can help with the distribution. Hessmas will remain here and manage the flow of crates into the outpost.”
Neemtasa wondered why Pussiro stated he would support the distribution of food, but her thought was brief. There would be food, and she had little worry for how it got to her soma.
The hatch opened, and sand swirled into the outpost before it was blocked by two Dischnya and a crate. One male hurried down the ladder, dipped his head to the nest’s queen, and then barked to the second male. In turn, the male on the surface tilted the crate on its lateral face to shove it through the hatch. It was a tight fit, but it made it through.
The male in the outpost looked at Pussiro, who indicated the opening to the outpost. The crate was hoisted and set before the queen.
Quickly, more crates arrived, and Hessmas added his strength to the process of stacking crates.
Pussiro stepped around the stacks and indicated the top crate to Hasmossa, the sub-commander, who stood in the tunnel.
Hasmossa grabbed the crate’s handles and dragged it off the shoulder-high stack. It fell to the ground with a bang. Hearing his wasat’s growl, Hasmossa struggled to lift the crate. It wobbled centimeters off the ground before it fell back into place.
With a deeper growl, Sossfass gripped the crate and heaved. It did rise higher than Hasmossa had managed, but not for much longer.
Neemtasa’s tail wrapped around her leg in embarrassment.
“Strength will return in time,” Pussiro said calmly and patiently to the warriors. “This is what I advise,” he added.
Unlatching the crate, Pussiro indicated Hasmossa and a warrior. When they stepped forward, he handed each of them a piece of fruit.
The warriors eyed Neemtasa, who commanded them to eat. They devoured the fruit in several bites.
“Now, each of you pick up one end of the crate,” Pussiro directed.
Neemtasa pointed at the remaining crates and tipped her muzzle at Sossfass, who nodded in acknowledgment. Then she set off down the tunnel with the first crate and Pussiro behind her.
8: A Nest Saved
Along the tunnel, the soma scented the fruit on the warriors’ muzzles, which had been Pussiro’s intent. Their mouths watered, and their eyes widened. They stared at the crate in hopeful anticipation.
Neemtasa barked commands at warriors, directing them to the outpost where more crates waited. They handed off their tools and other implements to females and pups. Then th
ey raced in the direction from which the crate had come.
“The pups will be hunting, Pussiro. Should they be recalled to participate before the food is gone?” Neemtasa asked.
Pussiro gave the Sawa queen credit. Despite Nyslara’s assurances, Neemtasa sought confirmation about the amount of food that would be arriving.
“Do you doubt Nyslara’s words?” Pussiro asked.
“Queen to queen, I shouldn’t,” Neemtasa said. “Yet, it’s difficult, when the nest suffers.”
“Your doubt is understandable, Chona,” Pussiro replied. “But you needn’t accept our words. By our deeds, we’ll prove to you that you can trust us.”
When they arrived in the cavern, Pussiro chose a location against a section of wall that wasn’t growing fungi. “Call the pups, Chona,” he requested.
When Hasmossa and the warrior set the crate down, Pussiro indicated the sub-commander should stay. The other warrior needed no inducement from the queen. With tongue lolling outside his muzzle from the exertion, he hurried back to the outpost, his great clawed feet scratching the hardpacked ground.
The pups began crowding around the case, and Pussiro ordered them to form a line. The young were confused by the directive, and the wasat chose three of the youngest, placing them one behind the other. The concept dawned on the others, and they quickly formed a line that stretched halfway around the cavern.
Pussiro opened the crate and handed a piece of fruit to the first pup, who wasn’t more than two years out of the mewling stage.
The tiny Dischnya regarded the queen nervously, and Neemtasa announced to the assembled soma, “Eat what you’re given, unless Wasat Pussiro of Omnia tells you differently.”
The soma focused quizzical expressions on their queen. The presence of a second wasat within the nest confused them, but that was quickly forgotten as the pups munched on ripe fruit.
The line of young moved quickly, and more crates arrived.
Pussiro separated the two colors of crates, orange and blue. The orange held fruit, and the blue contained vegetables. Then he motioned to Hasmossa to continue handing out the fruit.
Standing beside the growing stack of vegetable crates, Pussiro requested the queen call the individuals who could be instructed about preparing the food. Neemtasa barked several commands called, and Dischnya, young and old, male and female, hurried to Pussiro’s side. While he unlatched a crate, the youngest crowded front and center.
“I’ll need bowls and preparation utensils,” Pussiro requested.
Several elder Dischnya gave commands, and pups ran to fetch the requested supplies.
Standing away from the growing mass of soma and crates, Neemtasa silently chuffed in admiration of the wasat’s handling of the event. The scarred gray muzzle spoke of decades of experience protecting a nest. To her mind, Nyslara was a most fortunate queen.
When pots, a cutting board, and old, but sharp knives arrived, Pussiro spent time lecturing on the preparation techniques of the assembled vegetables. He finished his instructions, stepped away from the crates, and held out his hands toward them.
Immediately, the assembled Dischnya sorted through six of the crates, emptying them of their contents, and hurried into the tunnels.
“They’ll need fuel for cooking most of the vegetables,” Pussiro said to Neemtasa.
“That’s still available,” Neemtasa replied. “It’s been collected from the surface for annuals to prepare cages for capturing the vermin.”
The line of pups ended, and the remaining Dischnya eagerly formed their own line. Earlier, they’d feared that the pups would consume all the fruit, but, as more crates appeared, their anxiety eased.
“If your patriarch or matriarch has left the cavern to cook, take a piece of fruit to him or her,” Pussiro instructed.
The first young female in line had been handed a piece of fruit. On hearing the foreign wasat, she bared her teeth and held out her other hand. Having received two pieces of fruit, she dashed down the line and exited the cavern into a tunnel.
Warriors lined the far side of the cavern, waiting for their turns. Every crate had been delivered, and Hasmossa managed the distribution.
Hessmas stood beside Pussiro, Neemtasa, and Sossfass.
“This shipment should last your soma a few days,” Hessmas said to Neemtasa.
“Then what?” the queen asked.
“I can’t reach Nyslara,” Pussiro replied, “but she’ll have a schedule in mind.”
“What do you mean reach?” Sossfass asked, puzzled by the expression.
“I’m referring to the small devices in our minds,” Pussiro replied. “The tunnels and the distance from our ship are defeating the connection.”
“You fly ships, and you speak your thoughts to one another. What else do you do?” Neemtasa inquired.
“We live well. Not in tunnels, but on a planet that can grow food such as this,” Pussiro replied, indicating, the enormous stack of crates.
“You came here before,” Sossfass said.
“The Omnian leader did. He was seeking information about a dangerous adversary who threatened worlds,” Pussiro explained.
“You could have helped the nests then,” Sossfass stated. He’d spoken with an even tone. Nonetheless, his statement carried an accusation.
The tip of Neemtasa’s tail gently touched her wasat’s calf.
“I wish we could have helped,” Pussiro replied gently and without umbrage from Sossfass’s remark, “but we were still in our tunnels. The Omnians were saving our nests. When the leader arrived here, he and his companions were met with resistance by Chona Ceefan and Wasat Falwass.”
“Then it was a fortunate accident that the human, Nata, visited Sawa,” Neemtasa surmised.
“It was more fortunate that we met with an understanding queen rather than Ceefan,” Pussiro replied, tipping his muzzle to Neemtasa.
Neemtasa chortled and tapped Pussiro’s shoulder with a single dark nail.
“Will you leave now?” Sossfass asked.
“This nest, yes, but the planet, no,” Hessmas replied, “The queens who’ve arrived will have plans for Sawa.”
“It can’t be rescued,” Neemtasa declared.
“Not this world, Chona,” Pussiro replied, “but other nests might be saved.”
“You’ve that much extra food?” the queen asked in surprise.
“We feed the combined soma of our planet and many other worlds,” Pussiro announced proudly. “We’ve taken many steps from our tunnels.”
Pussiro and Hessmas returned to the surface to find six travelers belonging to the Dischnya had landed. Against the fierce wind, they made for the ship containing the queens. Even with faceplates closed, the blinding sand limited visibility. They used their implant apps to provide directionality to the traveler.
Aboard the traveler, the wasats updated the queens on the food distribution.
“Then it went well?” inquired Posnossa, when the short summary was finished.
“The soma behaved admirably,” Pussiro replied. “Neemtasa is a benevolent queen ... unlike her matriarch.”
“What now?” Hessmas asked, as he regarded the queens.
“The de Long captains have shared the squadron’s telemetry of the Sawa surface.” Nyslara replied. “We’ve identified the discrete clusters of hatches around the planet.”
“We’re going to visit every nest?” Hessmas inquired.
“Yes,” Nyslara replied.
“We can entice the guard in the outpost with a piece of fruit,” Pussiro said.
“What would make the nest guards think the fruit wasn’t poisoned?” Hessmas asked.
“Because you would be eating it,” Pussiro replied and chortled softly.
“Clever,” Hessmas commented.
“I ask again. Can we support the entire planet’s nests and for how long?” Posnossa inquired.
“Let’s first discover how big a problem exists,” Nyslara replied. “The travelers will carry Dischnya with stun guns and f
ruit. We’ll separate and manage the investigations of each group of our soma. Our pilots can coordinate the search.”
At Posnossa’s first stop, a warrior scratched at the hatch and watched for the scope to turn his way before he bit into the fruit he carried. The wind quieted, and the male opened his faceplate to preserve air and squatted to wait.
The warrior grabbed the release lever on the hatch and attempted to turn it.
The warriors were collected, and Posnossa updated the master data list on the ship’s controller. She noted that Hessmas had already entered another nest as inaccessible.
Pussiro’s first and second nests were also locked. The hatch at the third nest responded to his effort. He levered it up and waited. When no one appeared, he opened his faceplate, and the smell of death struck his sensitive nostrils.
Immediately, Pussiro swung aside and snorted to clear the scent from his muzzle. Then he closed his faceplate and signaled the warriors to follow.
The tunnels were searched, and the Omnian Dischnya continually employed their stun guns. The vermin had grown bold and were protective of the corpses on which they’d been dining.
The reason for the nest’s demise became obvious when Pussiro and his warriors entered the caverns. The water cisterns were dry, and the fungi on the walls had died.
Pussiro’s team returned to the surface, and he updated the ship’s controller. At the present time, not a single viable nest had been found.
Nyslara was on her eighth nest. Of the first seven, five had locked hatches, and two contained dead soma. She’d cringed at the vermin feeding on the body of a mewling.
Through a warrior’s implant, Nyslara watched a scope turn his way.
Then the hatch levered open, and a long blade was thrust out.
The Omnian leapt aside, narrowly evading the deadly weapon.
A nest warrior leapt out of the hatch and repeatedly slashed at the Omnian. His eyes blazed, and he drooled continually.
