"I have questions, urgent ones, that require immediate answers," Acer replied.
"Come, sit with me and have a drink. We can talk in my home."
"No. I need to speak to everyone at once. Some may provide answers you cannot."
"Very well; what is it you wish to know?" the elder asked.
"How long has the volcano been dead? Why was it not reported?" Acer demanded.
"It never recovered fully after the Savra attack with the nuclear weapon. When Kelan checked it, we thought it had. But it lost power slowly each day. It has been gone for many months. We did not report it because we felt it unimportant compared to the crash of the spaceship and the consequent war on Earth. The fight to save the humans from the invasion of aliens and forming an alliance with them were greater concerns than one volcano. Talonia had been discovered, and we were more worried about that."
"Every detail of Talonia is important, especially to the king. Never hold back reporting incidents of any nature. They may be the key to larger concerns. Are there any other changes you have not reported?" Acer inquired.
A woman approached with her head down, as if too shy to look Acer in the eye. "The waterfall in the south is not as blue. The life within it has diminished. That is a recent occurrence, and I reported it to the elder. We use the one to the north now. It is just a few steps further from the village."
Acer glared at the elder. "When were you planning on telling the king about the waterfall? Or did that seem unimportant as well?"
"The village and city elders were to meet with the king in a week. I would have reported it then, and the volcano as well. It did not seem to require immediate attention. As the woman said, the northern waterfall is fine and almost as close. There is a volcano in the north too."
"You do not seem to understand the situation. Your lack of urgency could cost Talonia a high price. If all the village elders had the same attitude as you and left things of this nature unreported, Talonia would die, as would its inhabitants. There may be volcanoes and waterfalls all over the planet just like these. We need these reports to know whether or not the repair to our atmosphere has failed. I will have to let King Maxxus know of your failures. He will surely replace you with another, more involved elder on the council. I am ashamed of your laziness."
Shaking with anger and fear, Acer left the villagers standing in the square. He had to get back to the capital and report the dire news. The repair Kelan had brought from Earth and used on Talonia's atmosphere after the nuclear attack had not worked as well as they had imagined. The planet was in danger, and a solution had to be found quickly. Even if no other volcanoes or waterfalls had succumbed to the breakdown yet, they soon would. Food and air would run out, and life on Talonia would die. Its inhabitants would be forced to seek refuge on other worlds, namely Earth. That was unacceptable.
Acer felt sorry for his brother. Poor Maxxus was left with a mess to resolve. War with Savra had only started their troubles. Each passing day they seemed to grow larger. This one was the most devastating of all. Could it even be fixed? Would using Kelan's formula again save the planet or would it at least slow the decay giving them time to find a better resolution? He knew it was supposed to be Maxxus’ problem, but he could not let go of his authority so easily. He loved his home world and did not want to lose it. Just like Lydia, the commander's mate, he considered it to be paradise. He would not let it go without a fight, and he doubted Maxxus would either. This was a war, though one of a different kind. They had to win.
