Chapter 13 — The Last Seed Keeper

The Green Dome's Council Hall, which rarely filled all eleven members at once, was empty today. In addition to the official members, the back row also contained representatives from the engineering teams, the farming team, and a few interested citizens who were allowed to attend as observers — news of Root Rot had spread throughout the Green Dome over the past three days, and no one could anymore pretend this was just a minor technical problem.

Khe Mien stood before the entire Council for the second time this week, but this time, the atmosphere was much more tense than the previous informal meeting. She presented the report again, this time more fully, with updated data — Root Rot had spread to eleven more rows in just three days, exactly as she had predicted.

"My proposal," she concluded, keeping her voice steady even as she felt dozens of eyes on her, "is for the Council to approve the formation of a small caravan, fully equipped and escorted, to the Sand Dome as soon as possible. The goal: to find replacement parts for the Respiratory Station's filter core, and exchange for additional breeds to diversify the Seed Store's gene pool."

Su Dinh Lam was the first to speak, as Khe Mien had predicted.

"I don't deny the seriousness of the problem," he began, his voice calm but firm, characteristic of someone who has thought carefully before speaking. "But I oppose the proposal to send a team out, at least for now. We are facing an internal resource crisis. The most logical, safest solution, is to focus all resources to solve it from within — isolating the contaminated area, rotating farming, stricter rationing to buy more time we have, while the engineering team finds a way to make replacement parts themselves, even though it may take longer."

"We don't have that much time," Khe Mien countered, trying to keep her voice respectful even though she felt a sense of impatience rising. "My father's engineering team has confirmed: we do not have enough materials or expertise to build a complete filter element in the Green Dome ourselves. It is not a matter of time, but a matter of capability."

"Then maybe we need to accept a lower standard of living, instead of risking the lives of a group of people through Dong Tro," Su Dinh Lam replied, undeterred. "You said you need to find components at the Sand Dome. But are you sure they have what we need? Are you sure they are willing to make a fair exchange, not taking advantage of our difficult situation to demand unfavorable terms? And most importantly — are you sure that group will return safely, bringing what we need, and not turn into another tragedy like what happened to the Mist Dome twenty years ago?"

The mention of the Mist Dome made the whole room quiet for a moment. Khe Mien felt the weight of that comparison, but she also realized that this was the key point that she needed to argue.

“The Dome collapsed because they waited too long,” she said, her voice more final. “They let the system fail to the point where there was no choice but to evacuate the entire population in panic, without preparation, without time for careful planning. We were not in that situation. We discovered the problem early — we had two to three seasons left before the food crisis was truly severe, and five to seven years before some of the strains in the Grain Warehouse lose their resilience. That was enough time to prepare a thorough caravan, not a panicked evacuation. The lesson from Dom Suong was not 'never leave the Dome'. The lesson was 'don't wait until there was no other choice'."

A few murmurs of approval rang out from the back row, where the engineering and farming teams sat, but Su Dinh Lam did not back down.

“You're right in theory,” he said. "But theory doesn't feed anyone. Suppose the Council approves your caravan. We will have to spend a significant portion of our supplies, water, and food reserves to equip them—resources that are already tighter than ever because of this crisis. If the caravan fails, or worse, doesn't return, we will lose everything we have invested in them, while the root problem remains the same. I don't say this because I don't trust you, Khe Mien. I speak because it is my responsibility to protect what we certainly have, before risking it for what we can only hope to gain."

Khe Mien took a deep breath before answering, feeling this was the most important moment of the meeting.

"Uncle Su Dinh Lam," she said, deliberately using a closer form of address to ease the confrontation, "I understand and respect your concerns. But I want to ask you a question: if we choose to close the gates, strictly ration, and only rely on what we already have, are we really solving the problem, or are we just delaying it until the situation gets worse, when we no longer have enough health or resources to send a delegation? looking for solutions? I think what's really being decided today isn't just whether to send a caravan or not. It's what we choose to believe in when faced with difficulties — hoard what we have and hope it's enough, or actively seek out what we lack, even if that means taking risks."

The room was completely silent for a few seconds, with only the gentle sound of the ventilation fan from the air conditioning system.

"This is not a philosophical question, Khe Mien," Su Dinh Lam said, his voice softening a bit, not as sharp as before, as if he himself was reconsidering something. "This is a question about real lives, of real people."

"I know," Khe Mien replied, "and that is why I stand here proposing a small, well-prepared, professionally escorted group — not a reckless adventure. I do not ask the Council to bet the future of the Green Dome on a gamble. I ask the Council to trust that there are risks worth taking, when the price of inaction is much greater."

Bien Ba Uy, having listened to the entire debate in silence, finally spoke, his voice carrying the weight of the person who had to make the final decision.

"Both make sense," he said, looking at Khe Mien and then Su Dinh Lam respectively. "That is why this is a difficult decision, not an obvious one. But I think Khe Mien has pointed out something important: we still have time, although not much, to prepare carefully instead of acting in panic. I will propose a compromise: the Council approves the formation of a caravan, but on the smallest scale that can be effective, with minimal but adequate equipment, and under the escort of the most experienced person we have. can be found. At the same time, the engineering team continues with temporary isolation measures within the Dome, and the Water Engineering department will closely monitor the allocation of supplies to the crew, to ensure we do not risk more than what the Green Dome needs to sustain itself during the crew's absence."

He looked around the room, waiting for a reaction. "I will put this proposal to vote."

The vote, after several tense minutes, favored approval seven to eleven — not a landslide victory, but enough for the proposal to pass. Su Dinh Lam, despite voting against it, did not show bitterness or continue to protest after the results were announced.

“I respect the Council's decision,” he said, standing up. "But I want to be on record: I will closely monitor all resources allocated to this caravan. Not because I want to be obstructive, but because someone needs to make sure we don't squander what is left while hoping for something that is unlikely to be achieved."

After the meeting, when Khe Mien walked out of the Council Hall, there was a feeling of relief mixed with a new tension — her proposal had been accepted, but now the responsibility of making it a reality, a truly successful journey, weighed more heavily on her shoulders than ever.

Dieu Lam waited for her in the hallway, his face both worried and proud. "I heard it. You win."

"It's not a win," Khe Mien said, her voice thoughtful. "The Council just gave us a chance. Now we have to make it worth it."

That night, writing in her notebook, Khe Mien recorded not the victory of the debate, but a question she knew she would face many times in the future:

*Su Dinh Lam was not wrong when he said hoarding is a way to survive. But I believe that sharing, although riskier, is the way to live — not just survive. I hope I'm right, because now, a lot of people will pay the price if I'm wrong.*