On day 1174, the answer from Three Wells arrived with Sera, Elian and a wagon of ceramic pipe. Their six-day freight journey had followed the advance rider by a day. Elian carried the sealed answer that had waited for the convoy after the owners considered Basen’s request; it had not traveled over the short warning wire.
Basen read the message once, then handed it to Sivet. The lower-well committee had agreed to advance the remaining filter medium for six weeks from its opening, through day 1216. Pale Reach must supply the same measured quantity of clean, tested, equivalent medium or pay the listed replacement price. Used material full of captured contamination could not be returned as fresh stock. The owners’ new shipment was still expected on day 1178. If it failed, they could request earlier replacement, but their written notice had to give the reason and allow the actual four-day courier and booked freight journey; no one had promised to pull working contaminated media from this bed and call the debt paid.
Sivet read the message aloud to the people gathered by the intake. When she reached the end, she folded it carefully and gave it back to Basen.
“Six weeks,” she said. “We’ll have to make the replacement before then.”
