CROSS-CULTURAL EFFECTS / CH. 2:OATH-BREAKERS
ATLANTIS, TUESDAY 18TH DECEMBER 2277, 8.30AM
“Why are there all these blue flags and streamers?” Elsie asked.
“Because prejudice is a bad thing,” Zelda replied, “and the outer Mer are reminding us how many of them there are, and what a disaster it would be if we let it grow.”
“Oh! Right, yes. Thomas has written about Hathellah. And of course I sort of met Ursula, too.”
“Can you explain it to us then, Elsie?” Tina asked.
Elsie looked to Zelda, but she motioned her to go ahead. “I can always correct you if you get it wrong.”
“Urm, OK. There are two races of Mer, Inner Mer and Outer Mer. Outer Mer don't have webbed feet, and there's not as many of them. About three thousand years ago, Hathellah, the ruler of the Outer Mer decided to step down. She let the Council of Unity, as it was then called, rule her people without her having to rubber stamp everything, leaving her more time to do important things, but she reserved the right to pick up her crown again whenever she wanted to. And Hathellah still can, except she'd have to come to Atlantis from Mars to do so, is that right, Zelda?”
“Yes.”
“Hold on...” Tina said, “You're not going to tell us there's a three thousand year-old on Mars, are you?”
“What? Of course not,” Elsie said. “Hathellah's about twenty two or three, I think. It's an inherited title.”
“To be precise,” Zelda said, “she's Hathellah, granddaughter of Hathellah, granddaughter of Hathellah, great-granddaughter of Hathellah, granddaughter of Hathellah, great-granddaughter of Hathellah the elder whose granddaughter Hathellah the younger died in childbirth while her brother walked on land, and no one in Atlantis knew he knew, or that his grandmother had sent him instructions to name his firstborn daughter Hathellah. So everyone thought Hathellah no longer lived. Until our ambassador on Mars heard the name of her boyfriend's sister, that is. And all these blue flags mean that there are a lot of Outer Mer around, and although most of them probably got called nasty names at school, hopefully it got stamped on by the teacher and they're not feeling oppressed and robbed of justice. If they were, they'd hang a red flag.”
“And what does a green one mean?” Tina asked.
“A green one? Where?” Zelda asked.
“Over there, down that alley.”
“Hopefully, that someone's colour-blind.” Zelda said, “That's not a colour any sane Mer would fly.”
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EMBASSY OF ATLANTIS, THURSOL, 18TH, 8.30AM
“Hi, Alice, It's Ruth here.”
“Hi, Ruth. Is that thing between Thomas and Ursula anywhere near being sorted out?”
“Has he talked to you about it then?”
“To Simon. He said he'd been a total idiot and broken a promise he'd made to her hardly two days earlier. Simon said Thomas wouldn't say any more.”
“Good for him for learning discretion eventually then.”
“I do admit a small ocean worth of curiosity.”
“Yes well, certain people know too many secrets.”
“What Simon also said was that Thomas decided there was no way that he'd tell Simon or anyone else about the potion.”
“Good decision to make, but he was a bit of an idiot to make it near anyone though, wasn't he?”
“He was indeed.”
“Basically that's his offence: blabbing about what's roughly speaking an official secret, told him in confidence.”
“So, it's not just that he broke a promise, he's also made trouble for Ursula?”
“Yes. I don't know if he realises how much, though.”
“You mean he thinks all he's done is broken her trust in him, whereas she's got that to deal with plus expects the full force of the law to land on her?”
“Except that he's now written to me asking me to hold him guilty instead of her. Would you and Simon be willing to act as a witnesses to him swearing an oath to that effect?”
“Urm, OK. What sort of punishment are we talking about?”
“Ursula took an oath to protect that secret.”
“And he broke it for her? And now he's taken that guilt himself?”
“That's why I'd like an oath to that effect. Ursula has to accept that, but at the moment she's on an extended miserable guilt-trip and not really listening to anyone.”
“When do you want us all there?”
“Whenever convenient. But our supply of handkerchiefs is getting low.”
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KARELLA'S OFFICE, ATLANTIS. 10 AM
“A green flag?” Karella asked.
“Yes, your majesty.” Zelda said, “Down a side alley in the old quarter, it's flying on a pole, but not very obvious. Hopefully it's just that someone's colour-blind.”
“I hope so.”
“But... it wasn't a deep green, it was a pale green, like old copper.”
“The ancient battle standard of the Inner Mer?”
“Yes, your majesty.”
“You have done well, Zelda. If someone thus declares themselves a shark, they are dangerous indeed.”
Karella closed her eyes and looked for people in Atlantis who had knowingly hung that symbol of ethnic division and war. There were five dots, quite close together, in the old quarter.
“We have sharks among us, Zelda. Keep your charges away from the old quarter, even better, take them to explore Atlantis-2. I must talk to the council.”
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HIGH COUNCIL OF ATLANTIS, 11.00AM
“Today, I heard shocking news, council members,” Karella said, “I have checked, and it is not mere colour-blindness. The battle-standard of the Inner Mer was seen flying in our city.”
“Who would do such a thing?” one councilor asked.
“Five, though perhaps more, as I did not look closely at any spots, would do such a thing. All were in the old quarter, in different homes but quite close together.”
“Should we send warriors? If they fly that flag, what do they load their blowpipes with?”
“Or if they are hunters, do they lay traps and snares?”
“All things are possible, councilors,” Karella said sadly.
“All? Do they also return to the Baals and Molech?”
Karella checked, and with relief reported, “No. They do not bow to our ancient idols; they have no stooped so low. They only defy the rule of the High Council of Unity of all Merfolk, they do not defy the third great oath.”
“But they are breakers of the first great oath,” one councilor said.
“They may be ignorant,” another said, “I've noticed that the song does not have the full wording of the oath in it. Perhaps they break the oath unknowingly, or are playing lawyer's games and think that displaying it is not the same as raising it.”
“Your majesty,” the elder of the council said, “the breaking of a great oath affects the whole city, but this is a matter for the High Council of Unity to enforce. We will send criers, but will you please address all Mer able to hear in the old quarter, and tell them of that oath.
Tell them the first great oath has been broken, and demand that they tell their friends and neighbours of it.
If those who make all shark or sharkfood will not go peacefully to the sea, the sea must come to them, before sun-down.”
“I will, elder.” Karella said, and with a heavy heart, called to all thought hearers in that area. [Merfolk of the old quarter. The High Council of Atlantis, which is of course also the High Council of Unity of all Merfolk warns of impending judgement. Beware, and again I say beware for a great oath has been broken. The first great oath has been broken in your midst. The first great oath was sworn by all Inner Mer, at the end of the battle of the Sharks. They swore that never again would the battle standard of the Inner Mer be flown by them or any other Mer, never again would Mer fight Mer, for we are one people. But the vile green flag of division and warfare has been seen, and it was not flown by accident. Let the oathbreakers who make everyone shark or sharkfood come before the Council in repentance, or leave our fair city. Tell your neighbours and relatives and friends and enemies that a great oath has been broken. Let all in the old quarter hear before the hour is out. The council will act before sun-down. Those who defy the call of the Council of Unity of all Merfolk to repent write their own sentence. They who do not repent are not Mer, they are shark or shark food, and if they will not go to the sea, the sea will come to them. Archivists, seal the archives well, for it would be better that the old quarter be open to the sea than all be made shark and sharkfood.]
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EMBASSY OF ATLANTIS, THURSOL, 18TH DECEMBER, 12.30PM
Ursula heard the chime that marked the outer gate being opened, and saw Alice and Simon arriving, and was shocked to see Thomas with them. He looked serious, but calm, and... determined? She wasn't sure. In any case, it was not how he should be looking. He should have been as miserable as she was. Her own feelings of misery were suddenly overcome by anger.
“What's that shark doing here?” she asked Pania.
“Taking an oath, at my invitation,” Ruth replied, “do not bring dishonour on our people. If you cannot be civil, stay silent.”
“I'll go to my room.” Ursula said.
“No, you will not,” Ruth said firmly.
“But...” Ursula started to object.
“You will stay, you will listen, and if you try to interrupt or move away, Pania will dart you.”
“I will?” Pania asked, surprised.
“You will. I didn't call Alice and Simon as witnesses to this man giving an oath just for the most important witness to decide she didn't want to listen.”
Ursula was just trying to work out why she might be the most important witness when the airlock finished its cycle and let them inside.
Thomas immediately fixed his attention on her, and said, “I swear by Almighty God that it was never my intention to cause any trouble for you Ursula, nor to break my promise to you. I also swear that any punishment my unthinking actions might have caused to fall on you, beloved Ursula, should be mine, and call on everyone here as witnesses to my oath. Let Ursula be held guiltless, if there be any penalty for my sin, any reprimand, any labour or imprisonment or penalty, I swear before God, the guilt and punishment are mine. Ursula, please forgive me for what I've put you through.”
“I have heard this vow,” Ruth said, “as we all have. Ursula?”
Ursula's anger had vanished as quickly as it had flared up, and in it's place was concern at what he'd just done. Didn't he realise? “I forgive you, Thomas,” Ursula said. “But, but, you jit! Do you know what you've just claimed? First you made me an oath-breaker, now you've claimed that on yourself!”
“I love you, Ursula, I didn't want to make you an oath-breaker, but if that's what I did, then I deserve what comes next, not you.”
“Did you know?” Ruth asked, “Did you know you wrote about a secret Ursula was sworn to keep?”
“I guessed it was possible,” Thomas said, shrugging. “It was my unthinking message that broke it, so I deserve the consequences.”
“Ursula?” Ruth asked, “You've called this man a shark. Is he a shark?”
“No! No, he's no shark.” She took Thomas's hands and said “No shark would swear such an oath.”
“Well, some might, but they wouldn't get away with it in front of this many truthsayers,” Alice said.
“But I don't want him sharkfood either,” Ursula said, then prayed. “Dear Lord, please hold Thomas guiltless! Forgive me my self-pity and my angry words, and forgive him for what he did, like I wouldn't let myself until now!”
“Well, I'm glad that is over,” Ruth said. “Ursula, Pania thinks the squid seems to be either getting ready to lay eggs or is unwell. Would you please try to work out if we need to eat calamari really soon, or we should hold off until the eggs are laid.”
“Your squid might be pregnant?” Simon asked.
“Squid don't really do pregnant, but they sure are weird,” Ursula said. “Some males (may they fill a shark's belly) basically impregnate any female they can, whether or not she's old enough to lay eggs yet. When they do, they stick a sack of sperm in her for when she's ready, maybe months later. Squidette over there's been a captive for two and a half months, but I'm pretty sure she's met some boys.”
“Why did Karella send you a squid?” Alice asked, “tropical fish I can understand, but...”
“It's a cultural thing,” Ruth said, evasively.
“You often have them in your homes?”
Ursula burst out laughing at the thought, and said “Not for long.”
“Fresh squid is a culinary thing, Alice. It's just that when Ursula declared Squidette here female and carrying sperm-sacks, we thought... Hey, let's not eat her quite yet, and we might have some more squid sometime.”
“You gave your meal a name?”
“She's famous!” Ruth said, “As far as we know she's the first squid in space, the first squid to be on the moon and the first squid to be on Mars.”
“OK, but, urm... oh never mind, I guess it's cultural,” Alice said. “Do you need Simon and me any more?”
“Just a bit,” Ruth said, “Thomas, you have now learned that the secret you spoke of to Elsie was a secret of the deep, protected by Ursula's vow. You have accepted under oath any penalty Ursula might receive as punishment for telling it to a man who was neither her husband nor her fiancé, and his subsequent hinting about it to his sister. Do you have any regrets about your oath?”
“No. Not at all.”
“Do you understand that by taking that oath you're saying that Ursula's life is more important to you than your own?”
“I do.”
“Do you understand that if by this process you are declared an oath-breaker you can expect no aid in times of peril from any Mer?”
He swallowed, “I do.”
“Would you like to tell me why you don't regret your oath?”
“I love Ursula. I hope we will get engaged and be married one day.”
“But as far as you understand, is she now under any obligation to you?”
“No.”
“You're wrong,” Ursula said, “because I assumed the worst about you, and wronged you in my speech and my attitudes, but you have offered your life for mine. I am under obligation to you.”
“I don't want you to feel that way, Ursula.” Thomas replied.
“I have spoken to the high council via Karella Far-speaker,” Ruth said, “the evidence has been examined, and the oath has been determined to have not been broken, although it was certainly bent a little. So, no one is declared oath-breaker, and so your actual debt to Thomas is not that large, Ursula. But Ursula, a mermaid should share no secrets of the deep with her chosen landman. And landman, speak not of what this mermaid speaks to you before its time. That you hold her honour and safety so highly speaks well of you, Thomas. Ursula, that your natural inclination was to forgive speaks well of you. Thank you, Simon and Alice, for remaining to witness this judgement.”
“Thank you, Ruth.” Alice said, “I imagine these two have some talking to do.”
“Thomas,” Simon said, just before the airlock closed, “if you did happen to be able to tear yourself away sometime this afternoon, I believe you have the test site booked until ten A.M. Frisol morning. I'm leaving in about an hour, if you want a lift.”
“Thank you, professor. I'll be ready.”
After Alice and Simon had left, Ruth said, “Karella also tells me the following. Princess Sathzakara Karella Christoph has been wondering how she could repay what she feels is her debt of honour to you, Thomas, concerning your travel out here. On hearing the situation before the court, she made a decision with the agreement of Queen Karella, which I am assured played only a very minor part in the decision of the council. So, last night, Elsie took a vow of secrecy. She is expected to become unwell during the last day of her visit to Atlantis, and Karella will assure the school staff that it is an illness they recognise, a reaction that many people get the first time they consume a certain food Elise wanted to try, and it only lasts a day. Further, Karella will assure them it would not be wise for Elsie to travel with the rest of her class, in case she throws up on everyone. And that since Sathie offered the cause of the illness, she's perfectly happy to take her back to Jersey once Elsie has recovered. Thus is the debt of honour counted fully repaid.”
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EMBASSY OF THE RESTORED KINGDOM, ATLANTIS, 2PM
“Commander, have you heard anything?” the Lieutenant asked Sue Reynolds, still de-facto ambassador despite her frequent mutterings about not being in the diplomatic service.
“Lots. What subject?”
“I've seen grim faced squads of warriors in what I guess is full battle gear, and there's a massive amount of rock being fed into extruders in the parks around the old quarter. If I didn't know better I'd guess this city is being put under martial law or getting ready for a riot or something.”
“Worse, in some ways.” Sue said, “They're getting ready to let in the sea.”
“What?”
“Some idiots living in the old quarter have broken a four thousand year old oath. The attitude seems to be if they're determined to be sharks or shark food then they belong in the sea, and if they won't go to the sea on their own, the Council isn't prepared to wait, since it's what they call a great oath: if one breaks it then everyone's guilty unless the community acts. So far the old quarter has been force-fielded off to stop a rock-cutter damaging the dome, and as I understand it, the plan is to make it possible to flood all of the old quarter except the archives. Before sunset.”
“What about people's homes?”
“What about everyone's children and all those coastal cities with the antimatter bombs beside them. They'd rather flood a bit of the city and let the sharks deal with whoever is holed up there than risk them going on a rock-carving spree. You saw the reports of what happened to that harbour on the Beautiful Peninsula. That was just a warning. This is more like emergency cancer surgery.”
“So they've evacuated the old quarter?”
“Not yet.”
“Why not?”
“They're not ready yet. Some people broke the oath, others knew and turned a blind eye. Either people come forward, or... I got the impression everyone there would be going for a swim, but I might be wrong.”
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ATLANTIS-TWO PARK, TUESDAY 18TH DECEMBER, 3.30PM
“Mr and Mrs De Gruchy, can I have a word?” Zelda asked.
“Of course, Zelda,” Mrs De Gruchy said.
“I'm very sorry, but it looks like going back to Atlantis this evening might not be a good idea. I think we'll have to camp here.” Here was a hill top in the middle of Atlantis 2's park. The eventual plan, according to Bianca, was to grass it over, as a picnic spot, but at the moment it was farily hard-packed sandy soil.
“You said there was some trouble.”
“Yes. Some Mer have done something unheard of in the last four thousand plus years.”
“Is it something to do with that green flag Tina saw?”
“Yes. A flag the colour of sea-splashed copper. The battle standard of the Inner Mer, a call to arms against the Outer Mer, against unity. We are a peace loving people, but... it seems not all of us. This isn't just a case of freedom of speech, you need to understand, by flying that flag, they break a oath. An oath that said no Mer would ever again raise that standard.”
“They make themselves oath-breakers, then?”
“No. They make all oathbreakers. I can't believe any Mer would do such a thing, it's shocking.”
“Do you know they are?” Mrs De Gruchy asked.
“Pardon?” Zelda asked, surprised.
“There are some tourists in the city, aren't there?” Mr De Gruchy added to his wife's question.
“That's a very good thought. I must pass it on,” and she started to stride away.
Elsie had over heard the last bit and called, “Zelda, wouldn't just ringing Sathie be faster?”
Zelda stopped in her tracks and came back shaking her head, and grinning. “Some teenagers are just too familiar with technology.”
“It's ringing,” Elsie said, offering her wrist.
“Princess? Zelda here. Could you ask your mother if she's sure they're not land-folk?”
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“That could be a very embarrassing enormous relief,” Sathie said.
“I thought so too.”
“Zelda wonders if the flags were put there by landfolk,” Sathie told her mother.
“Credit where it's due: it was Mr and Mrs De Gruchy,” Zelda said.
A few seconds later she heard Karella's thoughts, [Mr and Mrs De Gruchy have just earned themselves the name Mer-friend, Zelda, unless you have any doubts?]
[No, your majesty,] she thought back, and she stepped away from Elsie's wrist unit, smiling her thanks.
[The embarrassing thing is I told people whoever had put it there weren't Mer, but were sharks. I didn't stop to think I might be speaking truth, not just judgement. Explain to them what their status is, and if they will vow to secrecy, tell them also of all their rights.]
[Of course, your Majesty,] Zelda thought.
[I also have an idea. Let me tell the Council the situation isn't what we thought, praise God. I'll call you later about my idea.]
“Mr and Mrs De Gruchy,” Zelda said, “Karella Queen of all Mer names you Mer-friends for your insightful thinking. To be a Mer-friend is not citizenship, but it is not so very far off. You may come and go in Atlantis, you may request scales to swim as Mer swim, and if you take a vow to protect the secrets of the deep with your life, then you may learn the secrets of the deep.”
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OLD QUARTER, ATLANTIS
The fully armed squads of mer warriors, reassured that they were not likely to be facing one of their own, moved in perfect synchronisation.
Step one, override commands were entered into each building's computer, directing all electronically controlled doors to operate via the Council's authentication server, not the building's local one.
Now, the warriors knew the pass-code, and the residents did not.
Karella had checked the location of the six provocateurs. The timing had been deliberate; they'd been mid-conference.
Step two, the squads moved into position outside the doors of the rooms where they were staying.
Step three, the land-folk network link — which regularly had problems with getting overloaded and so slowed users' data down — was deliberately slowed down so that no real communication was possible. The technically skilled agents knew that one so-called solution to the link doing this to you was to drop the connection and rejoin the network. Not a difficult procedure, but it was a distraction. While they were distracted, the squad leaders
entered the door code, and the agents were darted.
One man managed to draw a knife before he collapsed, but he didn't get to use it.
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ATLANTIS-2 PARK, 5.20PM
[Zelda, me again.] Karella called.
[Your Majesty,] Zelda acknowledged politely.
[Six foreign agents are now recovering from having been darted, so unless your guests want to camp out, previous plans may be resumed... sort of.]
[Sort of?]
[Swimming is possible, but walking around the inside of the dome isn't a great idea, because we're going to extend the forcefield, not take it down. We don't need to risk our city to one fool with a rock-cutter. The concert has turned into a prayer meeting, and tonight's storytelling will be in Mer, possibly with translation.]
[OK. Well, I'll pass the changes along.]
[Do that and then I've got some thoughts to share with you. What's the news there?]
[Mrs De Gruchy asks if her being named mer-friend means she can bring a group next year, too. Mr De Gruchy, who's what he called a purchasing manager in the shop his ancestor set up, would be very interested in making Mer handicrafts available to the people on the island — he's said that before but wonders if this changes things — and they've both taken an oath to protect any secrets.]
[Excellent, OK well, yes, I expect there can be other school trips to organise, and it strikes me that we could learn a few things from our friends in Jersey, don't you? Like handling tourists, and dealing with ones who cause trouble, for instance.]
[I expect so.]
[From what you've seen, is it a nice place?]
[Lovely beaches, and good waves too.]
[So... what would you think about being our ambassador to the Channel Islands, if the government agrees?]
[Me? Urm, wow. Maybe. Oh, and it's governments plural. They're all independent.]
[Really? That'll keep you busy then. Do you have a boat?]
[No.]
[Never mind. You'd need a flying fish, I guess. And a husband; do try to find a Merman, Zelda. We don't want everyone intermarrying with landfolk, or in a few generations there'll be Mer with the pain.]
[I have been walking with someone, Karella.]
[And?]
[And we've decided not to marry until we could buy a boat. We're about three fifths of the way there.]
[Well done, but I meant what was his name, and his role in life?]
[Tristan, Gizela's brother. When he's not collecting food, and looking out for treasure chests, he's a gem cutter and jeweler.]
[Nice portable trade, that. So, if the Council was going to lend you a flying fish for the next decade or so, and wanted you to have a co-pilot, because those things are tiring even though they're stupidly fast, would that change your marriage plans?]
[We could use the flying fish for holidays too?]
[Of course. Once it's built, and you've trained in flying it. But actually, you've flown an Albatross, haven't you?]
[I'm sure they fly very differently.]
[I'm sure they do. No Zelda, I'm just wondering if you need a flying fish or if an Albatross would do.]
[Would do?]
[Sathie told me it was slow under water.]
[True. No proper drive unit, and no proper mass either, of course. I don't think you can really do a good space going submarine. But it was a nice ship.]
[So, think about it with Tristan. Bear in mind that there's a long queue for flying fish, now Amos has ironed out the quirks. Also bear in mind that although Boris hasn't set a price for his designs yet, there's not exactly much gold in the construction of it, and I'll set Lara on him if he charges too much.]
[You mean we could buy ourselves an Albatross, rather than a boat?]
[If you don't mind all that air underneath you, and the thought that if there's a power failure you're in big trouble.]
[We would be anyway.]
[Talk to Tristan. Is he on food duty tonight?]
[No, he gets home in about half an hour.]
[Excellent. I need to eat sometime, I'd like to talk to the De Gruchys, could you bring him too? Oh, actually, can Christoph, the girls and I join you at your camp-fire?]
[You'd be most welcome, your Majesty.]
[If you're considering being my ambassador, then you call me Karella. I insist.]
[Yes, Karella.]
[Do you have any way of contacting Tristan?]
[I do have a wrist unit, but I can't drive it yet properly. He doesn't.]
[Does he hear thoughts?] Karella asked.
[Yes.]
[Then I'll give him a quick interview, once I've talked to Boris.]
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KARELLA AND CHRISTOPH'S HOME, 18TH DECEMBER, 5.30PM
[Boris, I think you can put her down now. You've been doing that at least ten minutes.] Karella thought.
[It's muscle-building exercise, Karella.] Boris replied [Doctor's orders.]
[I'm sure it is, and you're not enjoying yourselves one bit.]
[Of course we were,] Hathie thought, from Boris's arms.
[Anyway, now you're not playing how near feedback can you get, I've got a question for you, Gravitymaster.]
[Uh oh.]
[You might like it. A challenge.]
[Double uh oh.] Hathie thought.
[As you probably know, Albatrosses don't swim underwater very well.]
[Quite renowned for it, yes.] Boris said.
[And our wonderful submarines are too heavy for space flight, my physicist husband says.]
[He's not wrong.] Boris said.
[So, Boris, question one, would you like the challenge of designing me something more of a Guillemot? Say, an Albatross with an tunnel drive so that it could go at a reasonable speed underwater? I'm thinking it would be wonderful to give young adventurous types who don't panic at the thought of all that air underneath them, something that didn't need so much gold, but they can still use on their holidays. Question two, how soon? Question three, how much?]
[How much?]
[Design fee per Albatross or Guillemot. The labourer is worth his hire, just don't price yourself out of the market.]
[Urm, what is the market?]
[Well, for instance, the flying fish modification is apparently earning Amos and Lamura five thousand Pearls per shot between them, but people already need the right sort of hull to do that. After five hundred builds there's some kind of reduction, and you need to factor in the materials costs and workers time and so on. I'd imagine that if you charge too much for your design, people will look at the amount of gold it costs compared to the gold in the ship and decide they'll buy a flying fish instead. But I'd imagine a Guillemot isn't going to be that attractive to people who want a boat anyway, unless they happen to have an interest in Mars, like Zelda, or a certain sister of yours.]
[When you say Amos is getting five thousand Pearls...]
[Him and Lamura Aeroplane-shaper, yes.]
[Is that for the wings or the thrusters?]
[The fan between the drive plates thing? I think that's an ancient design.]
[Because if I stuck a tunnel drive on an Albatross, as my beloved monarch has just suggested, and added the fan, then I could out flying-fish a flying fish. Or of course, I could offer antigravity to flying fish-owning people too, couldn't I?]
[I expect so, yes.] Karella thought [Perhaps you should be talking to Amos, I can imagine the idea of a space-going flying fish being quite popular for people who don't like the thought of see-through toilets.]
[Karella! I fixed that bug very early on.]
[I know, just teasing. But there will be people who prefer solid metal to forcefields.]
[I know. But do have any idea how hard it's going to be to lift something as heavy a boat?]
[I imagine it'll take a bit more thrust than one of your forcefield creations, but you did take a lot of cargo with you, didn't you?]
[Yes. You must know what the materials and labour cost was for the Albatross three, surely? I just designed the thing.]
[About a hundred and fifty thousand pearls.]
[That little?]
[Most of the cost of a boat is the metal, remember.]
[OK. Well if wings earn your brother and his future father-in-law five thousand...]
[Don't get too greedy, Boris.] Hathie thought.
[I was going to suggest that I how about I say eight thousand for the reflecting fields and the shell, and ten thou for the anti-gravity. I've been working on both of those for almost a decade, after all. But I'll throw in the wings for two, because I didn't design them, I literally just copied an Albatross and got the center of gravity right. Is that unreasonable, Hathie?]
[I think that's very reasonable,] Karella thought, [considering how much gold you're saving people. What about for the underwater version?]
[Hey, the Guillemot is all your idea, Karella. You even named it. Credit where it's due, beloved monarch! I'll happily tweak things so it'll work around whatever you get built. I'm sure Christoph knows enough physics to put the drives in the right place, though I'd suggest somewhere in the tail area, where the reactor and thrusters are anyway, as that'll keeps the noise down. My bit of laying out the field emitters won't take me more than an hour or two, I think.]
[Boris, all I've done is spout ideas!]
[So? They're very good ones! I hadn't thought of making an Albatross into a submarine.]
[I'm not going to charge anyone thousands of Pearls for my contribution.] Karella objected.
[Tell you what,] Hathie suggested [since you'll be earning Boris extra customers for his hull design, how about we say for the modified version you two make a partnership, and he pays you a commission for the extra sale, say a thousand, and then the only extra people pay is the parts and labour for the drive units?]
[Hey! My Hathie's got business brains as well as gorgeous hair.]
[And the next question, Boris, love. If people want a Guillemot but not the antigravity?]
[Hmm. Let's call it something else. I wouldn't want to trust the wing design for powered flight without anti-gravity to help. But if they don't want wings or flight, but do want the hull, sure, that'll make life cheaper for them.]
[And Karella's portion?] Hathie asked.
[You mean was I serious about eight thousand for the hull, now with my favourite monarch getting a thousand for extra sales? Yes, OK.]
[But you're going to be losing out,] Karella objected.
[Not when they pay an extra thousand Pearl of premium for retrofitting the anti-gravity and wings, I'm not,] Boris thought back immediately.
[OK, Boris, {laughter}. How about you and Hathellah get this little commercial plan down in writing, and I'll talk to a potential customer?]
----------------------------------------
KARELLA AND CHRISTOPH'S HOME, 18TH DECEMBER, 5.40PM
[Greetings, Tristan. I am Karella, and have been talking to your Zelda.]
[Your majesty, I'm honored! But... Zelda and I are neither married nor betrothed yet.]
[Do you have any doubts? She didn't seem to have any, but spoke of you two planning to buy a boat together.]
[No doubts, except I wonder it was a good idea to decide to wait until we could afford our own boat. We'd just found a nice hoard when we decided that, but since then...]
[So, why don't you at least get betrothed? But I have some questions for you, Tristan. How much do you enjoy your job? How much do you enjoy your hobby?]
[I am... satisfied that my job is important, your Majesty. But I much prefer my hobby.]
[I'm not surprised. How good do you think Zelda is dealing with strange situations and frustrating officials?]
[She was deeply embarrassed at what happened on the Albatross three, your Majesty. She said she felt like she'd let you down. She hadn't thought of it in terms of diplomacy at all.]
[And how about yourself?]
[I try to show respect, your Majesty, even when I don't like the person. If I didn't, I would have lost some repeat custom.]
[Next question, would you like to visit her claim on Mars some time, or does the thought of space travel or living away from Atlantis terrify you?]
[I'd love to visit Mars, your Majesty, and I'd love to see what she saw, experience flying through the air and even space. And urm, that's why we want a boat, so we don't need to live in Atlantis.]
[One thing you will need to discuss with Zelda, then. You're obviously not worried about forcefields in space, how much do you like the idea of metal around you when you're underwater?]
[I don't quite understand the question, your Majesty.] Tristan said.
[I've just been talking to Boris Gravitymaster. For twenty thousand Pearls, he will allow the use of his Albatross design, or an as-yet-idea we're calling the Guillemot, which would have proper thrusters for use underwater. The Guillemot would obviously need gold for the thrusters, and I've not asked the fabricators how much cost it would add to what an Albatross costs to make.]
[Your Majesty, do you know the cost of an Albatross?]
[I know the government paid the fabricators about three hundred kilos, sorry three hundred thousand Pearls, for both Albatrosses two and three, so a hundred and fifty each. And I insisted that the fabricators charge what they'd charge anyone else.]
[Just a hundred and seventy thousand for an Albatross?]
[Our boats have always been hard to make, Tristan. I don't know if the Albatrosses have any ship-metal in them. Boris has done a wonderful thing in conquering gravity, but I expect he will be remembered also for changing our boats. Now, we will talk more, but your Zelda is in the park in Atlantis two, waiting to discuss boats and birds. Eventually, I expect she will be ambassador to the independent states of the Channel Islands, but we'll talk more of that when we arrive.]
----------------------------------------
KARELLA AND CHRISTOPH'S HOME, 18TH DECEMBER, 6.00PM
“Does the whole drive tunnel need to be made of ship metal?” Sathie asked, “I mean, couldn't it be made of crystal, say, with just a thin sheet of metal?”
“Heretic!” Jake accused, and threw an imaginary rock at her.
“Interesting idea,” Karella said, “I know some people who'd love the idea of only half a kilo of ship metal. You'll meet them as soon as you've got ready.”
“I think I'd have liked the idea of a crystal skin on the outside of the Albatross too.” Sathie said, “I mean, the power unit and controller and airlock are already set in crystal, but there was this little button on the control panel which really terrified me: 'shut down forcefields'.
“Including the fusion store?” Jake asked.
“No. Just the pressure hull and the wings. But once we'd landed, Boris told me I could press it. No confirmation, or anything. Click, and then it was really easy to put the cargo into the Marsmobile.”
“Ah,” Karella said, “Useful user-feedback there, thank you. Christoph, what do you think?”
“Certainly we need to hide that button behind some kind of locked safety shield, and yes, let's chat to someone in fabrication, see what they think. Light-weight is nice for space, but under water too light is also a problem, and I know I'd like to be able to power down my sub without everything inside getting soaked and floating away.”
“Or my spacecraft and still breathe in it,” Sathie added.
“Hold on,” Karella said and shot a quick question to Boris. [Boris, quick question, any good reason for not having a crystal inner hull on the Albatrosses?]
[Yes. I was too keen to get to Hathie and forgot to moan at fabrication. It is in the plans.]
[Thank you, Boris.]
[Oh, and if Sathie's worried about that 'turn off the forcefields' button, it does only work when the thing has pressure on its feet.]
[What about under water?]
[Hmm... good question. I'll check.]
[Thanks, Boris. Oh, another idea from Sathie: any idea if the drive tunnels could be made of crystal, apart from the plates?]
[Excellent idea from my point of view. The fabricators might moan a bit about tradition, but point out the hull is all crystal and forcefields anyway, and otherwise they're somehow anchoring submarine metal onto a crystal hull right next to a forcefield emitter.]
[Is that a problem?]
[It's an engineering challenge they ought to prefer to avoid.]
[Thanks,] Karella thought, then reported on the discussion to her family while chasing them from the house.
----------------------------------------
ATLANTIS-TWO PARK, TUESDAY 18TH DECEMBER, 6.15PM
[Has your Tristan got there yet, Zelda?] Karella thought to her.
[No, Karella. But he's not mine yet. We're not married yet.]
[I think you ought to at least be betrothed if you're planning on buying space-ships together.]
[You've talked to Boris?]
[I have, and I've told Tristan some numbers. Did you know that the Albatross design called for an inner hull of crystal, but the fabricators left it out and Boris said 'never mind I want to go hug Hathellah,' or something similar? Sathie didn't. I'm tempted to ask Ruth to throttle him a little. Oh, and Boris says the scary button only works when there's weight on the feet.]
[Or when you're floating. I tried it when we'd got back.]
[Boris did say he'd check, feel free to tell him you have already, with appropriate remonstrances.]
[Is greedy one of them?]
[I don't think so. Not at all. Talk to your Tristan.]
[You're determined to call him that, aren't you?]
[I have noticed your heart sing for joy at every mention of his name, daughter of the deeps and shallows. Your heart is his no matter what has or hasn't happened, and his is equally yours.]
[That's nice to know. But Karella, I don't think I should be ambassador. Tristan would be much better than me, I think.]
[Why do you think that?]
[He thinks before he speaks, knows how to hold his tongue, and I only got reasonable results in history and law because he tutored me.]
[What's your hobby?]
[Other than Tristan-watching? I design, he makes. Oh, and he speaks French too.]
[So, remind me again, why is he on fish collecting duty?]
[Because he thinks its an important duty, Karella, and he's a humble man.]
[He didn't apply for diplomatic duty did he?]
[No. I told him he should but he said it'd only pull us apart if we got assigned in different places.]
[I've already told you you ought to be betrothed. Didn't it occur to either of you that wouldn't happen if you were?]
[Urm. Not to me.]
[There'd be an oath to protect, Zelda,] Karella pointed out gently.
[Oh! {embarrassment} I'm a silly mermaid, aren't I?]
[But you wouldn't have so many links to Jersey if you'd not flown to Mars, would you? Or if Tristan had gone with you and been diplomatic. God is sovereign.]
[He is.]
“Hi, Zelda,” Sathie called, coming up behind her, “I hope you weren't meant to be keeping watch.”
----------------------------------------
ATLANTIS-TWO PARK, TUESDAY 18TH DECEMBER, 6.20PM
“Zelda!” Tristan said, picking her up and spinning round with her, “Have you heard?”
“I've heard that a our beloved monarch has been dropping possessive pronouns into your mind as well as mine.”
“Yes. What do you think?”
“What about?”
“Getting a Guillemot or an Albatross?”
“What's a Guillemot? Other than a sea bird. Oh, an underwater Albatross?”
“Yes,” Tristan said.
“I don't know enough to comment.”
“You don't?”
“You heard numbers, I didn't. Everyone, this is Tristan.”
“Oh. Urm...” noticing he'd rather made them the centre of attention, he put her down. “I see lots of people I don't know.”
“Would you like introductions to everyone?”
“See if you can remember everyone's name, Zelda,” Sathie challenged.
“Thank you so much Sathzakara. Tristan this is princess Sathzakara Karella Christoph. Trying to not be seen picking his nose is crown prince Jake Karella Christoph, swatting him is his sister princess Mabel Karella Christoph, and sitting over by the fire cooking fish and pretending not to be related to their offspring are Her Majesty Karella Farspeaker Homebringer and Christoph Atomworker.”
“Hi, Tristan,” Karella said, “and Zelda if you don't drop the titles you'll get in trouble. This is not a state visit, this is us gate-crashing.”
“With food,” Zelda said.
“Of course,” Karella said, “Christoph found a whole school of plaice trying to get into the pumps this morning, for some reason.”
“Very easy to catch,” Christoph said, “But it wasn't me who first saw them, we just got a message asking if it might be a sign of a problem. But anyway, we caught them and delivered a hundred or so of them to the city store, and then tried to look for what had attracted them there in the first place.”
“Oh, so you've been doing a lot of swimming too?” Tristan asked, noticing Christoph had wet hair.
“Yes. Along every pipe from the pump to the the outlet. All we found was a
rather hungry dogfish. And barnacles, of course.”
“Ooh, barnacles in the pump pipes,” Karella said, “that brings back happy memories. But don't let us stop your introductions, Zelda.”
“I thought I'd escaped,” Zelda smiled, “Moving on to the Jersais, I believe the term is, the adults are Mrs De Gruchy the class's teacher, and her husband, marketing manager at the shop his ancestor started.”
“Good evening and bonsoir, Madame, Monsieur,” Tristan said.
“Bonsoir Monsieur, but we're more fluent in English,” Mrs De Gruchy replied.
“We then have Mia and Sean, who declare themselves 'just talking,' much like we were at their age. Next to Mia is Elsie, whose mother sold those offcuts for enough to do get some long-awaited house repairs done, and then there's Tina, and Samantha, who's not talking to Chris over there, and don't you dare suggest otherwise, they just happen to like a lot of the same things.”
“Oh, right, OK. And find the same things funny?”
“Exactly,” Zelda said, earning herself a glare from Samantha, and carried on with the introductions.
“Well done,” Karella said, as Zelda got the to the end, “Tristan, do you want to tell Zelda your news privately, or shall we tell you both all the updates?”
“Urm... a bit of privacy first?” Tristan asked.
“Of course,” Karella said.
[Zelda, we can afford an Albatross, maybe a Guillemot, it depends how much the drive tunnels would cost.]
[You're sure?]
[Her majesty said that the two human-carrying Albatrosses cost three hundred thousand Pearls to make.]
[Each?]
[No, beloved, for the pair. And Boris only wants twenty thousand for the design.]
[So a hundred and seventy kilos of gold for an Albatross?]
[Yes. But the question is, how much extra for the drive? And do we really want something which needs to be permanently on, or parked on land?]
[Oh, Karella told me that Boris didn't wait for them to build it properly. There should have been a real hull, made of crystal.]
[Oh! So we don't need it permanently on?]
[Apparently not.]
[That's good. And Karella says we should be betrothed.] Tristan said.
[If we had been betrothed, of course, we wouldn't have been split up by different assignments.]
[But if you'd never gone to Mars...]
[Or if you'd been with me, you might have been far more diplomatic than I was and not given my ruby away.]
[But now you are to be ambassador, which I think you will be good at. God is good.]
[I have told Karella you would be a better ambassador.]
[Me?]
[You. I would like to point out that if I am ambassador, I probably won't have much energy for designing things, but if you are, then I can stand by you as your guard and consort, thinking up designs and then you can relax by cutting up some expensive stones. Or even cheap ones, Ruth has been selling engraved disks of crystal on Mars. They are quite popular. I much prefer the idea of being a designer and protector and home maker than ambassador.]
[I wouldn't really know what to do if you were ambassador, except help you.]
[We are decided?]
[Will you take vows of betrothal?] Tristan asked.
[Yes, but we can afford a boat.] Zelda thought, slightly disappointed.
[A spacecraft, yes. Probably a boat. Am I silly to want our own boat for our honeymoon, my Zelda?]
[My Tristan, that is not such a silly thought. But I don't know how long it will take to design or build a Guillemot.]
[Perhaps her Majesty does. I would like your parents to witness our marriage vows.]
[Thank you, my soon-to-be betrothed.]
[My Zelda, shall we make that official?]
“We call for witnesses!” Zelda called.
“We will take vows of betrothal,” Tristan declared.
“Good idea,” Karella said.
After they'd vowed to one another that they would marry.
Tristan said, “And we ask, sovereign Queen, do you know how long before we might know the cost of a Guillemot, how long it might take to make, and how quickly might Zelda's parents return from their duties to witness our marriage vows?”
“By Albatross or Guillemot, it would only be a matter of hours to bring them here. I will ask them about their plans. I expect that Boris will have the detailed plans ready by tomorrow evening.”
“And the cost of a Guillemot will not exceed a hundred and seventy thousand,”
Christoph reported. “And it might be less. I talked to the chief fabricator on the way here. The first human-carrying Albatross went through a number of modifications, which increased the price. For the record, an Albatross, with hull, will be a hundred and fifty thousand, and Karella, a hull can be added to the existing Albatrosses for fifty Pearls, plus some granite. The fabricator was embarrassed; he'd thought Boris had said said the hull should be cut-away, so he'd ordered it cut it away. But presumably Boris said he'd cut it out, that's to say left it out from the drawing for clarity. So having the hull actually means less work for the fabricators.”
“That's good,” Zelda said.
“But one question the chief fabricator wasn't sure about was whether the crystal hull would let you hear properly under water.”
“That's.... that's quite a scary thought,” Tristan said.
“The forcefield was excellent from that perspective.” Zelda said, “I could hear clearer even than in a normal boat. Do you agree, Sathie?”
“Absolutely. I kept wanting to reach out and grab at things.”
“So... if it doesn't work,” Christoph replied, “he said the fabricators' guild are very keen on the idea of getting a Guillemot working, because that'd leave them so much more swimming time. So, if you're willing for your Guillemot to be the prototype, the guild will be working hard to make it work for you.”
“For a price?” Zelda asked, suspiciously.
“Not beyond delivery time. They're that keen. What it might mean is your hull gets lots of weld lines in it as they try different things, or at the very least, one weld line where they cut out where they've been trying stuff and put a new modified hull in place. So, it wouldn't be optically perfect, you might loose a bit of speed under water, and so on. And it might take a long time — he thought it might be even a few months to get it really right.
“If you don't want your Guillemot to be the experimental prototype, say because you need it quickly, and the crystal doesn't let you hear, they'll cut out the crystal for free but he said that for safety he'd recommend a second forcefield hull with its own supply, but there'd be a charge of a couple of hundred Pearls for that.”
“And otherwise we might officially own a prototype for a few months but not actually be able to use it?” Tristan asked.
“Oh, no, he'd said it'd be a cyclical thing, they'd try something, make sure it's at least water-proof, and then ask you to test it with instruments on board.”
“Oh, right. Zelda?”
“Prototype,” Zelda said with certainty, “Because that way we get a good boat at the end, and the first Guillemot, and we don't find that the final version costs twenty five hundred because it needs long strips of ship metal embedded in the hull or something like that. And do you know how much we could charge landfolk to take them or their cargo to Mars? It's not as good as selling them jewelery, of course, but it's a renewable resource.”
“That sounds... an interesting alternative to being ambassador,” Tristan said.
“Don't you two take up playing interplanetary taxi drivers, please.” Karella said, “Except in your holidays, of course.”
“I'm not ambassador, Karella, that'd be a slow disaster. Like I said,” Zelda said, “we'd make more money from gems, let alone jewelery. Plus there's more chances to swim on Earth. Do we speak with one voice, my Tristan?”
“Absolutely. If you'll have me, your majesty, I'll serve as diplomat where you
want me.”
Karella waved a dangerous finger at Zelda, “Do not scare me like that, and my ambassadors call me Karella, Tristan. It's a rule. Go make some friends on the Channel Islands and in your spare time sell them some jewelery if you want to.”
“Did I hear the words sell and jewelery?” Mr De Gruchy asked, suddenly all ears.
“You did,” Zelda said, “and in case you're prepared to admit noticing, the earrings and necklaces I've been wearing the past few days were a joint effort between my Tristan and myself.”
“I've certainly noticed them. I admit I was wondering why you seemed to change them often.”
Zelda smiled, “So Mr De Gruchy, you've seen some trade items. How interested are you?”
“From a distance, they looked exquisite. Could I, urm, examine them closer to? And in better light?”
“Of course. You only need to ask. Like I said, I've made sure I've only been wearing trade pieces.”
“This one isn't for trade, though, Zelda.” Tristan said, as he handed her a package. Carefully, she opened it. It was a multi-stranded chain, with a diamond pendent. As she looked at it, he explained, “You said you liked the idea of a diamond as a token of engagement, but thought a ring was a silly idea, as it would catch on things.”
“It's beautiful, Tristan,” Zelda said. “But I said that years ago.”
“I know. It's been growing for years, too. There ought to be one link for each day since we started talking. But it's quite hard to not loose count.”
Zelda looked at her betrothed with tears of joy in her eyes. “And you've kept it secret all this time?”
“You've seen the chain plenty of times.”
“You said that was just a stock of chain!”
“Well, I have used sections from it, so the quality's more consistent than it would have been if I'd just added one link every day and never done that.”
“You are a sneaky lovely man, and I'm very very happy I'm going to marry you,”
“May I see?” Mrs De Gruchy asked, “Oh, it's exquisite!”