For Set Vaxvev viro Midsiroxy

From Vraxi Dynix viro Ytti

With the announcement of the Grand Devotion's departure, I require transportation of domestic tantuvaws to the Grand Devotion mothership sooner than initially expected.

The Grand Devotion's tantuvaw ranch is fully operational, and a suitable home for the livestock has been prepared. Within five days, I require a response detailing:

-the exact number of adult, adolescent, and unhatched tantuvaws, as well as active pregnancies under your care

-the sex of each tantuvaw

-the earliest date you will be available to oversee the transportation of the tantuvaws from your ranch to the Grand Devotion

Please send your response to the digital address 111000-LKR-XI as soon as possible. If you have any concerns or questions regarding the matter, you are welcome to contact my royal council at the aforementioned address.

At the end of the letter was another Dynix approval stamp.

It's really a letter from the queen... wow!

As Set looked back up, the messenger began signing again. “I think the queen is sending this out to all farmers in the Midsiroxy guild.”

Right, right. Set returned to reality, absorbing what the letter said. Tantuvaw transportation? I hope they'll be okay with moving, especially since we're so far into their mating season. The number of tantuvaws at the ranch was simple enough to answer – it was the logistics that concerned them. They'd just make sure to ask for some extra workers to help in case any of the creatures got rowdy.

Or should I ask fellow Midsiroxy members to help instead? Should I bother asking the queen's council for help? They're probably so busy right now! Set fidgeted around before they remembered the messenger was still waiting for a response, at which point they jumped back to attention.

“Sorry! I got distracted,” they signed. “Thank you for delivering this.”

“You're welcome. When we meet again.”

“When we meet again,” Set replied. The messenger turned away and began jogging back to the walkway Set had just arrived from.

I have to get on this before I forget. Set approached the barn's entrance, and the door automatically slid open upon detecting them.

The barn was a dim, spacious place with rather musty air. To the left of the entrance was a clean, windowed office where Set managed their guild and farm documentation, and to the right was an industrial sink sitting behind bales upon bales of long-stemmed plants. On the far side of the barn were stables full of tantuvaws – big, herbivorous, beetle-like creatures known to be docile in nature. Set likened them to genofexians: both species both had chitin that needed to be cleaned and taken care of, and they both possessed a powerful sense of unity. Tantuvaws looked after each other, as did the typical genofex with its own kind.

Upon seeing Set enter the barn, a couple of the tantuvaws chirruped and bobbed their heads around, excited to see their caretaker. Set had to resist going over to say hello – they couldn't afford to forget Vraxi's request. Set headed into the office right away.

The little workspace contrasted the barn with a grey tiled floor and bright lighting. Notably, its computer didn't have access to Zetomerxy's digital network; Set would either have to reply to the queen in writing or wait until they were home to use the terminal in their apartment. Given that they still needed time to figure out how to move all the animals, Set decided on the latter option.

After picking out their most recent livestock record from the desk's mess of papers, Set picked up a notepad and a pen to copy down the requested information.

14 adults (10 male, 4 female; 2 pregnant)... 6 adolescents, (1 female, 5 male)... and 22 eggs. Set tore the page off the notepad and folded it away in their robe's pocket. There shouldn't be any new eggs yet, but I'll check just in case.

With the critical information secured in their robe, Set left the office and walked over to greet their favourite critters.

“Awoken again, Zizi! Awoken again, Davl!” Set knew the tantuvaws didn't understand Tanmor-an sign language, but a few of them continued buzzing and chirping in response.

The rancher opened the gate to their shared stable, and the two animals slowly walked out, following Set to the big gate at the end of the barn. After the enormous metal door detected the rancher and slowly opened, the tantuvaws trudged past Set and stepped into the daylight.

The rancher repeated the process, leading the livestock outside group by group until almost all the animals had left the stables.

Sizvi and Keki were the last two tantuvaws to be led out – or, at least, to be given the option. They were the two pregnant females, both of whom were content to stay put in their individual stables today.

Good, they're still expecting. 22 eggs is the correct number, then.

Briefly returning to the entrance, Set grabbed a single bale of long grass and returned to the expectant tantuvaws. The rancher pulled out several handfuls of grass for the two animals, ensuring they both had enough to eat. Sizvi was okay with Set's presence, as long as she wasn't touched. Keki was considerably more hissy than the others, although she'd never physically lashed out at Set.

Before walking outside to join the rest of the critters, the rancher quickly checked to make sure the stables' water pumps were still full enough. Just beside the door were two tall, translucent cylinders plumbed to their respective row of stables, giving the tantuvaws constant access to clean water. They were both about half full; Set didn't need to worry about filling them for at least a day or two.

With that out of the way, Set finally stepped foot outside, joining their favourite animals in the wide-open, grassy field. The area was surrounded by a tall metal fence, with some of the planet's notoriously carnivorous plants carefully strung about the outside of the fence. Few invaders would risk getting by them, animal or otherwise.

The tantuvaws lumbered around, mostly grazing on the long grass planted throughout the field, but some of the children were discovering their legs, frolicking carefree around the adults.

Food and water taken care of, good. Set put off their least favourite chores, like cleaning the stables, until later in the day. For now, they'd do a brief checkup on the eggs. It was a tricky task: Set wasn't quite tall enough to inspect the eggs that tantuvaw mothers stored on the concave section of their back, and the normally calm creatures didn't particularly enjoy having their unborn babies approached by foreign creatures.

Set's solution was simple. On the far end of the field was a small gate leading to a sprawling patch of pink, long-stemmed flowers, well known for their soothing properties. Although it would take a while for their effects to kick in, the tantuvaws loved them enough for Set to take a look at the babies while the moms were busy snacking.

Maybe Keki should get some of these too. Grumpy grub.

The rancher walked across the field and snuck through the gate before any of the bouncy young bugs decided to follow Set.

The flower patch was almost as pretty as the garden they'd just visited before work, albeit far smaller. More tall, pale trees drooped their leaves down, forming a shady canopy around the area, but there was still just enough light for the plants below to flourish.

Set picked five of the flowers, taking as much of the plant's thick stem as possible. The chewy texture would keep the mothers busy, and two for each of them would be all Set needed. The extra flower was for Keki later.

Returning back to the field, the mothers were easy to spot; isolated from most of the other tantuvaws, both were resting where the barn and the nearby fence joined. One of them was even sitting down, tucking their legs under their body.

Set slowly approached the curled mother. She'd be the easiest to manage if she was already on the ground.

Hello there. How are you, big grub? Set couldn't sign with a step stool and flowers in their hands, so they settled with keeping their loving thoughts in their head. They carefully extended two of the flowers to the tantuvaw, who quickly took interest in the yummy snack.

Aside from two intimidating pincers on its face, the animal's mouth was made of countless tiny mandibles used to break down plant matter. It leaned its head forward and all of its mouth-parts began eagerly wiggling about, chewing on the end of the flowers' stems.

Set stepped slowly out of the mother's view, leaving her occupied with a nice treat. They placed the stool on the ground beside the tantuvaw to get a clear look at the eggs cradled on her back.

All eight of her beige, pill-shaped eggs were accounted for. It had only been four days since their last inspection, but Set couldn't be too careful – tantuvaws were valuable, both economically and sentimentally. However, nothing looked out of the ordinary compared to the last checkup.

Now, once more...

~~~

Indeed, everything was accounted for. Set's counts of their critters were all accurate, and they had all been fed.

Next on the list: wax harvesting. From inside the barn, the rancher grabbed a metal pail and a specialized chisel with wheels attached to its sides. It was a rather unwieldy tool designed specifically for collecting excess wax that built up on tantuvaws' chitin. Set would run it over the animals' backs; to them, it would just feel like a gentle massage.

But, before that, Set walked back out to the yard, stopping in the middle of the field for a moment of warm daylight among the critters. During calm periods between their tasks, their mind inevitably drifted to the darkened horizon where Grand Devotion stood. Rather than feeling peaceful or hopeful, Set's body would ache with inadequacy.

Kavise is helping with the ship that will save our species... while I'm doing busy work with animals. How am I contributing to our survival? Set loved the critters under their watch, and Tantuvaw wax was a luxurious ingredient for crafts like candle making and salve blending, but by no means was it necessary for society's function. Finding greater meaning in their work was a constant ordeal with no end in sight.

Set's expression sunk. Everyone's so busy with way more important jobs. I wish I could make a difference...