Tamaruq

by E. J. Swift

  A dead-end job that has lurched horribly into life. And now they’re consulting him about genocide? What can he possibly say to Maxil Qyn? Qyn is not someone who can conceive of decisions made outside the realm of duty.

  ‘Alive?’ Qyn probes. Karis realizes he has failed to respond, perhaps more than once. Their myriad eyes flicker. He feels the heat rising to his face.

  ‘Yes. We should question him. Find out more about the city.’

  The Brazilian-Antarctican rep speaks up. ‘If it comes to that, we might as well intercept one of the city’s fishing expeditions and make the same interrogation with less hassle and fewer dealings with the technophobes.’

  ‘No, no. You’re missing the point.’ Karis’s thoughts are running ahead of him, running into fantasy, the way they have on so many graveyard shifts, waiting for nothing to happen. Only this time, it isn’t fantasy. ‘This man. Who is he? He left the ocean city. Why did he leave? No one has come out of that city in fifty years – not alive, anyway. So what can he tell us? Surely he must know something? Listen.’ Karis leans forwards, making his case. ‘First the shipwreck. Now the signal. Don’t tell me those two things aren’t related.’

  All eyes really are on him now. Including Maxil Qyn’s, thoughtful, contemplative.

  ‘All right,’ says Qyn at last. ‘Io, you’ve got three days to make initial investigations. Track down this rogue Osirian and find out what he knows.’ Her gaze snaps around the table. Karis is already dismissed. ‘For the rest of you – assign a detail to Patagonia, have our agents report back on the situation there as soon as possible. I want to know exactly who’s heard that radio broadcast. And get me the latest intelligence from our people north of the belt. I want scenarios for getting into the city and shutting down that radio signal as well as our options on its dissolution. We reconvene tomorrow at noon.’

  One by one, the nine defenders blink out. Karis finds himself alone at the side of Maxil Qyn in a suddenly too-large room. He hesitates, then plunges ahead. This may be his only chance to get out of this mess.

  ‘Chief. Why me? I don’t have field training. I’m just an analyst.’

  ‘You’re the Commander of Special Unit Atrak, are you not?’ says Qyn curtly.

  ‘Yes, but—’

  ‘Then you’d better get moving, Commander. The clock is ticking, and you have responsibilities. Besides.’ Qyn gives a humourless smile. ‘If we let you go now—’

  ‘Very funny, sir.’

  ‘It’s not a joke, Commander. That city has been a thorn in our side for over a century. Believe me, there is nothing remotely funny about our current predicament.’

  ‘No, sir.’ Already Karis is regretting his words. He hurries away.

  When he leaves Graham Station, much later that night, he has a keening headache lodged behind his left eye and a sense of having swum far out of his depth, far enough that the shore is no longer in sight. Waves pummel him. The radio signal is still emitting, the voice playing over and over on a loop. The voice of a stranger, dropped into the ether, hoping for a reply.

  Please send help.

  Please send help.

  Please send help.

  You poor fools, thinks Karis. You have no idea what’s coming.

  OSIRIS

  O’DIO ISIS 100

  Tor Aguda (TA): Politician and founding family member Linus Rechnov has not been witnessed in public now for seven days. The Rechnov family claim that he is suffering from a bad case of influenza and is being treated at home. But when journalist Magda Linn asked for an interview at the Domain (the Rechnovs’ glamorous high-view home, rumoured to cost thousands in public taxes every year) she was turned away at the tower entrance. All ways into the tower are guarded. Which leads us to ask: what, exactly, is going on behind the closed doors of the Rechnovs, and what does it have to do with the distress signal? Magda, can you shed any light on this?

  Magda Linn (ML): As you say, Tor, there’s been no statement bar the initial promise of an investigation from the Council. What we know is this: at twenty-two oh nine on fifth December the city’s distress signal was broadcast across all channels, with no explanation for the sudden annexing of public o’dio. Hours later it mysteriously disappeared again. By morning, it was back on the o’dio. Now, we know that Linus Rechnov is famously anti-Nucleite. He has been quite open – some might say heretically open – about his belief in life beyond the City, this despite reports from our most prominent Tellers. And he was one of the strongest advocates for the recent, controversial expedition boat – from which, by the way, we haven’t heard a word.

  TA: Whatever the answer, it’s having a terrible effect on the community.

  ML: That’s right. Conditions on the waterways grow worse by the hour. Fishing crews refuse to break strike, and the kelp harvesters are threatening to follow suit if we don’t get an explanation for the mystery hijacking within the next twenty-four hours.

  TA: There have been rumours of a vote of no confidence in the Council.

  ML: Unless we hear something soon, I would say that’s only a matter of time.

  TA: Meanwhile, the westerners are keeping surprisingly – some might say suspiciously – quiet.

  ML: That’s right, Tor. We’ve heard that the person they seem to call their leader, the Silverfish, has advised westerners to lie low. What we are seeing is almost unprecedented. This is a west who have no comment to make, who will not be drawn to protest or action. No, the violence is all City-side. It’s almost as if the westerners know something we don’t.

  TA: We shouldn’t forget, of course, that Linus Rechnov has had western sympathies in the past, even if those have been mitigated of late. His support for the rebel airlift Vikram Bai is one example. Could this be a western ploy, a complex move to incite unification through rumour and chaos?

  ML: If so, it means we have a serious security breach. Osiris’s distress signal has always originated from the City side on a secure frequency. So whoever recalibrated it to air on public channels must have obtained high-level access codes. Is this a warning, a demonstration? Should we expect further attacks on the infrastructure? A worrying thought indeed.

  TA: We’ll be back later tonight with a further report. Until then, take care out there, and mind the ghosts.

  ANTARCTICA

  >TolstyiStandard

  #10:48 30.11.2417

  SUPER-SHIPS DELAYED

  A Civilian Security spokesman has admitted that reports claiming the so-called ‘super-ships’ have been delayed are true. The ships were said to be close to completion but have suffered repeated setbacks over the last five years.

  This year the project lost one of its major engineers. Taeo Ybanez, recently pardoned for a controversial political broadcast where he denounced his own work, was killed in a tragic accident while overseas in Patagonia. Ybanez’s research has been passed on but it seems his particular expertise has not.

  There had been hopes that the first ship would be ready for trial by the end of the year. Engineers promise that the new ships, which are being designed specifically to withstand the extreme hypercanes of the tropics, will make open-sea travel a possibility for the first time in centuries.

  >TolstyiStandard

  #13.02 07.12.2417

  SENATE DENIES DISTRESS CALL

  The Senate has repeatedly denied claims that a distress call has been received from the Lost City in the South Atlantic.

  Communications analyst Jamal Mesay says he picked up the long-range signal late on the evening of fifth December. According to his claims, the message stated that the sea city was in distress and called for immediate help. Mesay says he took a recording of the signal and sent it to his local police. When we asked to hear the original, Mesay told us his personal records have been wiped clean and in addition his flat was raided in the early evening of last night. The recording, he says, has disappeared.

  Mesay, 47, is a leading member of a local group of enthusiasts who he says are dedicated to studying the eclectic history of the
Lost City of Osiris.

  >TolstyiStandard

  #21.30 09.12.2417

  SEA CITY UNDER THREAT?

  An insider who cannot be named for reasons of press protection has leaked a high-level memo from inside the Senate. The memo details costs for what appear to be potentially lethal strikes on the ocean city of Osiris. According to a leading defender’s analysis, these would cause: ‘immense structural damage, and possibly annihilation, of oceanic architecture.’

  The memo would appear to confirm suspicions that the Senate are considering an aggressive attack on the sea city, in direct contravention of the international Nuuk Treaty.

  Meanwhile, Jamal Mesay, the analyst who drew attention to the much-disputed ‘distress call’ from Osiris, has been detained under charges of conspiracy. Mesay’s lawyer has lodged an appeal.

  >TolstyiStandard

  #19.02 13.12.2417

  OSIRIS PROTESTORS MASS IN BELGRANO

  The biggest anti-strike protest yet took place in Belgrano this afternoon. Protestors amassed at Amundsen’s Square and marched through the city to the Senate House, where several thousand are gathered now. Those out on the streets today are campaigning against alleged planned strikes on the sea city of Osiris. They demand transparency regarding the Senate’s intentions towards the city, as well as the release of Jamal Mesay (47) who continues to be held by the authorities without bail.

  The Senate itself has remained silent since the incriminating memo was leaked, but state representatives have been keen to have their say.

  ‘If strikes are being considered, we can be sure it’s a very high-security matter indeed,’ said Commander Evie Aariak. ‘The only reason such a move would be condoned is to alleviate the threat of a Boreal invasion. And if the Boreals are planning a southern expedition, we’re all in trouble.’

  OSIRIS

  O’DIO ISIS 100

  Tor Aguda (TA): Thanks for tuning in, folks – and believe me, you’ll be glad you did. Today we have an exclusive interview with the figure everyone’s been talking about and no one seems to know. Yes, folks, we have met with the elusive Silverfish. Now if the sound quality isn’t great that’s because we recorded in the west, under what you might call restricted conditions – as you can imagine, the Silverfish keeps a tight security. So without further preamble – from earlier today: our interview with the Silverfish.

  Tor Aguda (TA): First and most importantly, welcome to the show. Silverfish (S): Thank you, Tor, and welcome to you and your team. We appreciate you coming to see us.

  TA: I’d like to start by asking, if you don’t mind, about your name. The Silverfish. It’s an odd one, because as our listeners may already know, a silverfish isn’t a fish at all. It’s – well, it’s an insect. A kind of bug. Why did you come up with that name?

  S: I didn’t choose it. Not consciously, if that’s what you mean. But you’re right, a silverfish is an insect. And insects are hard to get rid of. Resilient. They keep coming back. I want our movement to be something that it’s impossible to ignore.

  TA: You are campaigning for unification between the City and the west, is that correct?

  S: For unification, yes. And also for each and every citizen to know the truth about our city, and our history. Because I believe we have been lied to. I believe there is life outside of Osiris, and that it is up to us to find it.

  TA: Let’s talk a bit about your methods. Your words are being cited across the west – clearly what you are saying has struck a chord with westerners. But I have to say what’s been surprising to us in the City is how very quiet the west has been over the past few weeks. We’ve seen an upsurge of protests in the City, strikes spreading as far as kelp harvesters and teachers, Citizens clashing with police in the industrial quarter, a surge of arrests – some western security forces have even been diverted City-side. But from the west – nothing.

  S: I think the City is making the case for us right now, and the west is happy to let you shoulder the burden for once. This is an issue that affects us all. Why the sudden visibility on the public o’dio? Why draw attention to something which is meant to have been in place for the past five decades? Unless it was never being transmitted beyond the city in the first place.

  TA: That is what you believe?

  S: That is absolutely what I believe.

  TA: Let me be clear. You’re implying that the city’s distress call was removed – potentially some time ago – and has only recently been reinstated? This is a momentous accusation. Why would anyone want to cut off our distress call?

  S: Why does anyone do anything? Two reasons: fear, and power. Ask yourself who benefits from maintaining the status quo.

  TA: We’ve seen a spate of high-level predictions from the Guild of Tellers. They say something is coming. Something bad. Should we be worried, do you think?

  S: I know nothing about the art of Telling, but I know to listen when they’re in unison. I think we should be prepared—

  [pause]

  Prepared to expect the unexpected. I think Osiris is on the brink of change, but there are those who will fight to keep things as they’ve always been. We have to resist that mentality.

  TA: I know you don’t have much time. I want to ask you now about your real name. We discussed this earlier and you said you hadn’t decided whether you were going to reveal it, though perhaps some of our listeners out there may already have their suspicions. I know that this is a big ask and may place you in danger. But I have to ask – have you decided now?

  [pause]

  I have to prompt you. Have you decided?

  S: Yes, I have decided. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this. There are advantages and disadvantages to revealing my identity. You are right that it may place me in danger but I’m more concerned that it could have a negative impact on our campaign, and may even question its authenticity. However… however. I think it’s important that people in the City know who I am and why I am here, speaking to you about revolution. So…

  [pause]

  The truth is, I’m a dead woman. According to City records. And if it weren’t for two people – two westerners – who helped me when I was at my lowest ebb, I would be dead. My name is – my name was – Adelaide Rechnov.

  [long pause]

  TA: Adelaide, I have one more question to ask you. It’s a question I know our listeners will want to hear an answer for.

  S: Yes.

  TA: Why are you doing this? Why have you given up all of the privileges you had, to disappear into the west and join the western resistance movement?

  S: There are a lot of reasons I could give you, social and political reasons, all of which are valid and important, about which I’ve spoken at length, elsewhere. But in the end it’s quite simple. I carry a debt. A debt of a dead man – a dead man who I loved. He is my ghost to watch now, a burden I will carry for the rest of my life. I’m doing this for Vikram Bai.

  ‘How did I do?’ she asks Dien.

  ‘It sounds good,’ says Dien. ‘People will like it. The romance. They like all that romantic shit, it’s convincing.’

  ‘It’s the story that counts,’ says Adelaide.

  ‘That’s right.’

  ‘Is this what you had in mind? When you recruited me?’

  ‘It was a gamble. You were a gamble. I didn’t know which way you’d jump.’

  ‘You think I’ve jumped?’

  ‘You tell me.’

  ‘What I said in that broadcast. It wasn’t true.’

  Or at least, it’s not the whole truth. Or even, necessarily, a large part of the truth. While the City’s fishers strike and a long-lost radio signal reverberates around the Council Chambers, Adelaide, the Silverfish, is forging ahead with a dead man’s soul. Holding up their fleeting hours together as if they are a shield, or an amulet, or a light that is too bright and blinding to see past or through – anything but what it was: two people who used one another, a liaison like a Tarctic vortex, spiralling to something which neither of them cou
ld accept or articulate, at least not then. Only later. Only in absence. Adelaide’s penitence has become the west’s greatest weapon.

  Sometimes she considers a life where Vikram is not dead, where Vikram might return, and the idea is heady, almost intoxicating, and at the same time it is desolate. She imagines their meeting, standing on a pier with the boat drawing closer and closer, the boat pulling in, Vikram stepping out. The two of them, walking towards one another. There’s a blue sky, of course, and the waves are sparkling, and the city is sparkling. His face. Tired but happy. His eyes, meeting hers. The moment closes in.

  And there, at the point they come together, the reverie stops. Adelaide doesn’t know what happens next. She has no idea what she would say to him.

  ‘The thing is, Dien, I’m not doing this for Vikram – not any more.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I mean I loved him. Or I could have loved him. But this – I’m doing this for me. It’s the only thing I’ve ever done that’s mattered. It’s all I’ve got left.’

  She looks at Dien.

  ‘There. You know the truth now, even if no one else does.’

  PART FOUR

  THE SCALED MAN