The next morning, Nin went about her work with a renewed sense of purpose. Her decision to search for Second Sun filled her with excitement about the adventure ahead. As she was hauling a load of foraged leaves down into the colony, she unexpectedly ran into her aunt. It was unusual to see Timka this close to the surface. Her work normally kept her far below in the nursery. Their antennae briefly touched as they exchanged greetings.

Curious, Nin asked “Timka, what are you doing up here?”

“One of the committee members is willing to meet with you now. But her time is limited, so we need to hurry. Follow me.” Without any further explanation, Timka turned and began leading Nin back down into the depths of the colony. After descending almost to the bottom of the labyrinthine tunnel system, they entered the most secure section of the colony. It was unfamiliar territory to Nin. This was where the leadership lived.

No wonder they’re so out of touch with daily life in the colony, she thought. It’s like they live in a totally different world.

It was much cooler down here and Nin began to feel chilled as she waited for her aunt to return from inside one of the many anonymous chambers, which proliferated at this depth. Just as she began contemplating fleeing back to the surface to warm up, Timka reappeared and gestured for her to come inside.

Hesitantly, Nin followed her aunt. After entering the seemingly abandoned chamber, they were suddenly confronted by 3 gigantic soldiers. They advanced on her and her aunt aggressively, as if meeting a threat. Nin was terrified and instinctively began backing away, as they rushed towards them.

“Stop!” The soldiers immediately froze and stood with their antennae waving, seeming to weigh their orders against the potential threat facing them. The command had come from somewhere in the darkness of the chamber, but Nin couldn’t pinpoint exactly where.

Just then, an elder approached them. “So Timka, this is your niece?” Timka acknowledged the question with a nod and a wave of her antennae.

Examining the young petitioner before her, the elder asked Timka, “What is she called?”

It was awkward conversing through a third party, so Nin decided to take the initiative. Before her aunt could answer, she replied, “My name is Nin.” Anticipating the next question, she added “I’m a forager.”

The elder seemed to get the message and spoke directly to Nin, “I understand you have a question you wish to ask.”

“Actually, I have two questions.” The elder’s antennae froze momentarily. A sign of annoyance at being corrected in such an artless manner.

Nin continued, “First, I want to know why the truth about the Great Dying has been suppressed. And second, why has the leadership committee forbidden anyone from returning to Second Sun?”

There was a fleeting silence as the elder struggled to determine whether Nin was being disrespectful, or merely blunt. Regardless, she felt the need to teach this youngster some manners.

She said, “It’s not your place to question the policies of the committee.” Then, briefly turning towards Timka, she asked accusingly, “And furthermore, how did you learn of the Great Dying?”

Nin wasn’t about to incriminate her aunt, so she lied. “There have been rumors circulating amongst the colony members since the lecture about Second Sun. It seemed such a paradise. Many are questioning why we ever left … to come to this place. It must have been something terrible.” Nin didn’t finish her explanation. She was certain the elder would follow her logic and conclude that rumors were indeed spreading throughout the colony.

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It was clear the elder had taken the bait, when she responded “The Great Dying was more terrible than your young mind can comprehend. We had no choice but to leave.”

Nin felt some vindication for lying, after having her suspicions confirmed. Now that she knew the truth, she wanted to know why the leadership hadn’t tried to locate Second Sun and determine whether it was now safe to reoccupy.

“Why haven’t you sent someone back to Second Sun to see if the colony can return?”

The elder responded “We have sent teams of soldiers back to find Second Sun and determine whether it could be reoccupied. None of them returned. We stopped sending them some time ago.”

Nin was puzzled, why would they send soldiers on what amounted to an expedition. Soldiers were not very capable of foraging or searching. They were bred for fighting. “Why would you send soldiers and not foragers?”

The elder was visibly uncomfortable, being interrogated by a lowly forager. And the answer to this colony member’s question would expose just how impotent the leadership was in ensuring the colony’s survival.

“Everyone knows our food reserves are minimal. We can’t afford to send foragers on such a perilous mission and risk an interruption in the food supply.”

Of course, Nin was aware of this unfortunate fact. But if Second Sun could be found and reoccupied, the future of the colony would be assured. Sending foragers was the best bet to find the ancient colony.

“You should send foragers. They’re the only ones who could be successful.” While Nin was certain about this, she expected the elder to argue against it.

“As I’ve already explained, we can’t risk an interruption in the food supply. The colony might starve.”

Nin was frustrated. It seemed to her that the greatest risk to the colony’s survival was doing nothing. Even a relatively minor calamity could exhaust the razor thin food reserves, causing starvation. She believed that the colony’s ancient home could be found, but it was only an intuition.

Nin had spent most of her days foraging on her own, far from her sister foragers. During her explorations of the unknown territories, she had learned to rely on her intuition. In fact, she couldn’t recall a single instance where it had been wrong. Now that same intuition was telling her that she could find Second Sun.

Nin spoke, “I could search for Second Sun on my own.” Both the elder and her aunt stood in shocked silence. Nin continued, “That way, there’s only one forager at risk.”

Timka protested, “No, it’s too dangerous. None of the soldiers ever returned from their searches for Second Sun. What makes you think you can succeed where they failed?”

While Timka argued against Nin risking her life to find their former home, the elder saw an opportunity. If this young troublemaker went on a search for Second Sun and perished, there’d be one less troublemaker in the colony. In the unlikely event that she was successful, the elder could claim credit for sanctioning the mission that rediscovered their former home. But secrecy was essential. The elder couldn’t green light this mission without the consent of the committee, and they would never agree to this. If the committee found out, she could be in jeopardy. It was a calculated risk.

The elder spoke, “I will temporarily release you from your foraging duties to search for Second Sun, on the condition that it be kept strictly secret. Not a word to anyone.” She glanced over at Timka, as if to emphasize that her complicity was expected.

Nin was surprised. She had been prepared for an argument, not a sudden capitulation by the elder. However, keeping a secret was a paltry price to pay for the opportunity to have a grand adventure. The possibility of benefiting the colony was an added bonus.

She said, “Great, I’ll leave in the morning.”

Timka attempted one last time to convince her niece to reconsider. “Nin, there is no pheromone trail to follow, and the location of Second Sun is a mystery. The chances of getting lost are greater than the chances of finding the colony.” Her aunt’s warning weighed heavily on Nin.

The elder, seeing her scheme in jeopardy, quickly dismissed Timka’s concerns. “Nonsense! We know Second Sun is at least two days travel from here, in the direction of the setting sun. It’s as simple as walking away from the rising sun in the morning and walking towards the setting sun in the afternoon. Besides, Nin can leave a pheromone trail to find her way home.”

The elder’s sudden confidence in Nin finding Second Sun contradicted the facts. The reality was no one knew exactly where to begin searching for the abandoned colony. Any notions about its true location were based on ancient mythology. Regardless, Nin was confident in her foraging abilities and anxious to start her expedition in the morning.

Timka and Nin left the elder and made their way back to the upper reaches of the colony. Here, they said their goodbyes. Timka extracted a promise from her niece to avoid taking unnecessary risks, but it was a hollow promise. Nin would be faced with nothing but risks on her expedition to find Second Sun.