Quiet Invasion(12)
D’seun inflated slightly. “I agree, but this is not the right time. We must establish life beyond a few building blocks. We must be able to prove to the New People that we are serious about assisting with life’s common goals.”
Are you just trying this out on me? Why aren’t you presenting this to the debate clusters? “But do we know they are common goals? Do we know the New People see things as we do?”
D’seun rippled his wings. “You and yours are too afraid of this thing we do. This is not greed. We need a new home, one where we can organize and arrange the life which supports us, where we can wait out what is happening on this old home of ours.”
“I do not accuse you of greed,” said T’sha. Not yet. “But you are right. Those I support act from fear. I am as afraid of taking this action as you and yours are afraid of not taking it.” She leaned a little closer, her muzzle almost touching his. She wanted every word to sink into him. “Fear fills the air around you until you cannot feel what is truly happening to you.” She pulled back and let herself swell until she felt her bones press hard against her skin. “We are all afraid. That is why we must question everything we do. We must act on our fear, but we must not act out of fear.”
D’seun ruffled his bright crest, raising and spreading its tendrils. “I feel your words. Do not think I am numb. But raising yet more uncertainty at this time could be disastrous. We must be sure, all of us.”
T’sha looked down at him. He did not flinch or subside. He just returned her gaze.
At last, she asked, “What do you want?”
“I want to poll your city and its families. I have made a formal request to the High Law Meet. It will be sent to you within the hour.”
T’sha’s bones trembled. I should have known this was coming. I should have read it in the way that flies are clustering. “You question my fitness as ambassador?”
“No.” D’seun’s reply was easy, simple, and T’sha didn’t believe it for a moment. “I seek to eliminate uncertainty in this great project we are undertaking. If your doubts truly reflect the doubts of your families, then it must be widely known.”
Anger swelled T’sha until she thought she would float away on the wind. “Then let us set the polling time. But I tell you, D’seun”—she leaned close, making sure every word touched him—“I will not be stilled.”
“Neither will the project, T’sha.”
Whatever else he had been about to say was cut off by the voice of T’sha’s headset vibrating through her ear. “Ambassador T’sha, this is Village Gaith. Help. You must help. I am in rot. You must help my people.”
T’sha’s wings spread in instant response. “We will be there.”
“What’s happening?” demanded D’seun.
“Village Gaith. It says it’s in rot.” She barked a quick transfer command to her headset. “Engineer K’taan!” she shouted for her team leader. “We have an emergency in Village Gaith. They are in rot. Take a sighting and get everyone there as quickly as you can.”
Under the sound of her own voice, she heard D’seun give orders to the kite. It unfurled its wings to their fullest extent and reined in its tail. The winds swept it up. Its engines added speed. T’sha made herself compact so as not to add any drag that might slow them down. The wind grew hard and full as it raced across her shoulders, pressing the kite into swift motion.
Another rot. How many did that make since the First Mountain last saw the dayside? How many cities in how many latitudes were dead or dying, and what was the total refugee count? Two and a half million? Had it gotten up to three million yet?
She spoke to her headset, telling it to seek details about Village Gaith. After a few moments, the set murmured back to her.
“Gaith is a Calm Northerns village, with about a thousand individuals from four different families calling it home. Sixty percent of the individuals are children. Individuals are good engineers, have contributed several widely adapted adjustments to canopy balance in recent years, and have raised several excellent surveyors and samplers. Its ambassador is T’nain V’gan Kan Gaith. He has been notified of the emergency at the High Law Meet and is returning now. Its local speaker is T’gai Doth Kan Gaith.”
T’gai. Oh, memory. I haven’t seen you since I was declared an adult. She remembered T’gai’s visits to her parents’ complex, his dark-gold skin, and his speaker’s tattoos branching out all around his muzzle. He always had some new point of discussion to raise, some new poll to try to start. He was all a speaker ought to be—busy, serious, forward thinking.