The fifth pillar did not begin with a decision. It began with a conversation between Rakh'ash'tha and Mekka in the food distribution administrator's office, eleven weeks before anyone gave what they were discussing a formal name.
Rakh'ash'tha had returned to Yohan from the Arch for a supply resupply. She was in the city for four days. On the third day, she went to Mekka's office to review the agricultural output reports, specifically the figures on the eastern valley plots that had been under systematic cultivation for three seasons. The eastern plots had started as subsistence farming, each season's output calibrated to the city's consumption needs. Something had changed in the third season. She wanted to understand what.
The surplus column was larger than she had expected.
"How much is going to storage?" she asked.
