Relieved by the return of his modern technology, Tom had the PA resume speaking for him. “It was so pleasurable to bathe and speak with you all. We hope that we can one day visit your city and speak with more of your wonderful people.”
Both Threck laughed and Amoss replied, “Ah, the sweet perfection of your garb’s voice again! Indeed, it is elegant and contenting, but I almost prefer the strange pitch of your true voice. As to your moistening desires, your wish is ours to bestow! Let us be off to the city.”
Oh no.
Tom considered his response, searching through Minnie’s list of formalities for an inoffensive decline.
ANGELA: As fun as moistening desires sounds, please, no, my stomach is killing me. We need to take our reinitiation meds and get some calorie bars in us. As nice as possible, as firm as necessary, tell them we’re not going to the city right now.
Three hours later…
Amoss pointed to the towering steeple. “Welcome, Syons People, Tom and Angela, to Threck City!”
2.5
The Sea Threck, or Seekapock, as they preferred to be called, enjoyed three things: eating, rolling in mud, and talking. Their seemingly calm demeanor and relative silence upon first meeting Aether and Qin had been wholly uncharacteristic.
Away from the beach, beyond a sand berm, Skinny had led the group to a vast area shaded entirely by enormous, table-shaped fungi called wects. These “trees” were endemic in southern Threck Country, and from orbit appeared as some strange pink snow or ground cover. It was only after sending a probe to investigate that Angela had discovered their true nature and form.
Aether gazed up at the caps’ undersides 10-15 meters overhead. The wects’ gills hung like fuzzy icicles atop dense, trunk-like stalks above the real ground: a swampy marsh where mudworms thrived—a perfect symbiosis in which falling spores fed the worms whose excrement, in turn, nourished the fungi. It had been an ah-hah moment for the mission. The Threck had clearly evolved from a 100% aquatic species, but what had brought their ancestors—like humankind’s fin-walking forebears—out of the water? Even now, millions of years later, the Threck struggled daily with life on land. It was here, Angela had theorized—or a place much like it—that early Threck found an evolution-fostering sanctuary. Frequent rains and storms kept the fertile soil moist, and the pink wects supplied perpetual shade as primitive Threck gorged themselves on mudworms. Minnie believed that the tall trunks had inspired Threck City’s Romanesque columns.
Aether labored through the knee-deep mire, her boots sticking with each step. Behind her, Qin was experiencing the same frustration, as evidenced by the groans and his breath streaming through their open channel into her ear. She lowered the volume. Qin’s struggles were now replaced by the buzzing drone of a hundred chattering Seekapock. Flopping around in the sludge like fish washed ashore by a rogue wave, the masses seemed to be in the throes of food-bingeing ecstasy.
Aether’s Livetrans app couldn’t keep up, rapidly framing the heads of the talkers, one after another, as Aether read the words.
LIVETRANS: So good… more… never stop… delicious… great satisfaction… more.
Treading carefully through the mob, Aether was sure she was stepping on tentacles, but no one seemed to mind. Bodies grazed her legs as she tried to keep up with Skinny, who, cognizant of her guests’ slow progress, would take two broad strides, then turn and wait.
“Just over here,” Skinny assured. “Easier if you move faster.”
Aether trudged on without responding. She sent an M to Qin.
AETHER: Were you able to get through to any of the others?
QIN: Yes. Zisa. They’re at the rally point.
AETHER: Everyone?
QIN: Sorry, no. Z and P at rally point. T and A went off with Threck.
AETHER: Any other details on that last bit?
QIN: That’s it.
Finally, they arrived at a drier area, like the bank of a mud lake, where a few less-animated Seekapock sat draped over stumps and rocks, nibbling on fish from a basket. They, too, wore the usual mud-soaked cloaks.
“You, Orange People,” one of them said as she grabbed a thin, white, pancake-shaped fish and stuffed it up between her leg tentacles like a feeding elephant. “Skinny tells you live in egg and travel ocean.” Before Aether could finish composing a reply, the eater went on, “And you think us all Threck. You Threck friend?” She turned to Skinny. “Why it no answer? You say it speak.”
“Orange People take time before speak. I think maybe they slow think.”
When they both appeared to pause, Aether activated her synth. “Peaceful greetings to you. We use egg for travel only. We are from—” Aether’s response went on, but the seated Seekapock interrupted, addressing the others.
“It sound like Threck with perfect speak. I dislike.”
“It does,” another agreed.
“Where it get speak like Threck?” the first asked Skinny.
“Aether,” Skinny said. “Eeko wish to know how you learn Threck words.”
Aether wasn’t sure how to answer. Clearly these people had some quarrel with the City Threck. But then, once more, they just went on eating and talking, as if their questions had been rhetorical.
“Is it big eye head, this?” Eeko pointed at Qin’s visor, then reached closer, about to touch the helmet.
“They no like touch,” Skinny said as she slapped away the outstretched arm. “I think this like shell. Orange shell but sandy flesh inside. Here, Aether and Qin.” Skinny plucked two fish from the basket. “You will eat this.”
Aether and Qin both accepted the offerings in their hands, but neither moved to eat.
“Go on, now you eat. Move shell and eat fish.”
“We are thankful for this kind offering,” Aether said. “But we cannot eat food that is not from our land. It hurts us inside. Do you understand?”
“It ask if understand,” Eeko said. “It like Threck in one way more. Why you bring these here, Skinny?”
Skinny twisted and rolled both arms toward Eeko. The translation appeared in Aether’s fone like any spoken words would.
LIVETRANS: Be gone. You are purposeless.
Skinny held out an arm to Aether, the end curled inward. Aether took gentle hold and Skinny pulled her from the scene.
“They not respectful,” Skinny said as they went. “These is typical Seekapock. These is lazies. They sit all day and eat what is brought until no more food. No work for anything since long time. These no listen when Eeahso teach.”
Qin, huffing, “Where’s it taking us?”
Aether glanced back and saw him keeping up as the three of them moved farther and farther from the muddy area, the pink wects gradually shrinking to bush size, beams of sunlight piercing through.
Aether agreed with Qin’s concern. “Skinny, where are we going now?”
“Imick. We join with Eeahso then show you difference of Seekapock and Threck. Good night for you, I think. Seekapock first imick is special.”
Qin, in Aether’s ear again, “You know we’re completely out of EV range now, right? If anyone tries to reach us—”