Ss’klexna Rrr’tak’fi and Sata walked on frozen soil and cold boulders deep in the last remaining wilderness on Ko-tera Three. The bear was letting her nose guide her, Sata knew, and it wasn’t toward the scent of water or fish.
Every quarter hour or so, the contact specialist stopped, breathed deeply for a minute, then poured out a roar that seemed to echo off the mountainsides.
At first Sata thought it was just a roar, perhaps a simple call of some kind.
But as the hours passed, and she started recognizing complex patterns in it, Sata realized it might be more like a sentence, maybe even a paragraph.
Eventually, Ss’klexna started to look tired and hungry, until they discovered a pond hopping with countless frogs. The bear waded right in, and when her appetite was sated, the frog population was down to about half.
Sata had never before eaten a raw frog, but rose to the task, and felt stronger for it — especially after five of them.
Two days later, answers to Ss’klexna’s calls started to rumble through the rocky peaks and glacial valleys. At first Sata thought they might just be echoes, but the timing was wrong. They had to be other bears.
The great ursines of the wilderness — brown, black, and nearly white —
watched the newcomers for two more days, letting themselves be glimpsed, but no more. Sata ate fish, frogs, and berries whenever the pair found them, then slept close beside Ss’klexna Rrr’tak’fi for warmth.
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Finally the local bears ceased hiding and stood proudly and sternly, watching the small bear and human from a distance even as they replied to Ss’klexna’s roars. Many were twice Sata’s height when they stood up, some three times. Their voices nearly shook the mountains.
As the hours of that day passed, Sata noticed several changes come over Ss’klexna. The contact specialist slowly became afraid and defiant, then resigned and a little depressed, and finally, toward evening, calm and resolute.
That night, curled up together, Sata felt the bear trembling, and even heard her whimper once or twice.
“What’s
wrong,
Ss’klexna?”
“Just . . . fear of the unknown.”
“I thought you could see and understand the spiritual realities in any situation.”
“I guess . . . I can . . . but . . . that doesn’t mean I don’t feel fear when . . .
things get very personal. You see, Sata, I think . . . this might be . . . my last mission as a Nebador citizen.”
After that, the bear seemed to fall asleep, and another day passed before she would explain her statement.
Ss’klexna Rrr’tak’fi no longer needed to gather her breath and send her message out into the wilderness. Every ursine for a great distance around seemed to know exactly where the pair of visitors was eating berries, catching frogs, or fishing.
Sata noticed that her companion was savoring every bite, rolling each berry around in her mouth, and eating each fish slowly and thoughtfully. As they sat on the edge of a clearing and enjoyed a few more berries, Sata tried to work up her courage and ask about Ss’klexns’s statement the night before, but the bear spoke first.
“Remember, my friend, the ursines of Ko-tera Three are not fully sapient.
They are close, and have rules and customs they live by, but are still very much wild animals.”
Sata nodded, but figured she didn’t yet know enough to say anything.
“They want blood . . . they want a sacrifice . . . and for several reasons, I
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will give it to them.”
Sata’s throat suddenly closed so tightly, she could barely breathe.
“Most importantly, it will prove to them the sincerity of what I have told them, that they might need to go to a different world when the years have passed that can be counted on two paws. My sacrifice will not guarantee that they will leave willingly at that time, but without it, they will certainly not.”
The longer Ss’klexna Rrr’tak’fi spoke, the calmer she became, and the closer Sata was to tears.
“Secondly, my death will allow you to live. They have sworn to me that if I give them my life, they will not touch you. I believe them.”
Sata was crying openly now, but was aware that several huge bears, and many more that were merely large, were gathering in the trees around them.
“And finally, my friend, I am very old. I was old when I left my home planet, and even older when that video was made.”
Sata smiled slightly even as she continued crying softly.
“I have been fascinated, all my life, by the spiritual adventure that lies ahead, and I am deeply honored to begin that journey after being of service to these noble creatures. I did not know I would feel fear, but I guess a few surprises are part of the process. Anyway, I seem to have mastered it now, and my heart and mind are quiet . . . and ready.”
Part of Sata wanted to scream and throw rocks at the stupid bears, but another part knew that would only make things worse. Although it took every bit of her self-control, she somehow managed to remain still and almost silent.
“When I am gone, my friend, you should sit quietly and wait for the ursines to leave, in their own time, of their own accord. Any noise or defiance from you could make them take back their promise.”
Sata choked back the rest of the sobbing noises she was making.
Ss’klexna Rrr’tak’fi, of Satamia in Nebador, stood and walked forward into the clearing.
The largest of the great ursines of the last wilderness of Ko-tera Three came forward and seemed to embrace the smaller bear, then thrashed his arms about quickly several times. Blood flew everywhere, and Ss’klexna Rrr’tak’fi fell to the ground and lay still.
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At first Sata hoped with all her heart that the wild bears would leave right away so she could call Manessa, then cry for hours in Boro’s arms.
The bears of the wilderness lingered just long enough to observe Sata’s reaction. Within five minutes, they seemed satisfied, and she was left completely alone with the silent contact specialist.
Those five minutes allowed Sata to realize that she wasn’t quite ready to cry in anyone’s arms. There would be time for that, soon enough. First, there were a few other things she had to do, things Ss’klexna Rrr’tak’fi would have wanted her to do. She felt somewhat surprised by the calmness she suddenly felt.
She went to her friend’s body, and was amazed how completely the small ursine had been torn to pieces. She must have died very quickly, Sata realized. Although it required getting blood all over her hands and arms, she managed to find Ss’klexna’s mission bracelet, tapped the release code, and slipped it into a pocket.
Next she stepped back and looked over the scene. The clearing was completely natural and unremarkable, and would be difficult to recognize again once the body and blood were gone. Birds and carnivorous mammals were already gathering for the feast. Sata selected four large rocks, picked them up one at a time, and arranged them closely around Ss’klexna’s body in a perfect square.
Finally, after a deep breath, Sata walked downhill to the stream, washed her arms and face, and sat at the edge of the rushing water, pondering all the responsibilities that came with being a citizen of Nebador.