Lawrence Schoen: Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard

The astute reader will have noticed that the characters portrayed in this novel appear to represent a variety of anthropomorphic animals. In fact, at this point in time, there are some eighty-seven different species or “races” existing in the Alliance, more than a hundred billion sapient beings occupying approximately four thousand planets.

These races are identified by the common names of the animals they resemble — rendered here as proper nouns — or by a clipped version of the applicable Latin genus. Of these races, all are mammals, and all but two are furred. This pair of exceptions, collectively known as “Fant,” appears to bear a connection to the two species on Earth known as African and Asian elephants. Thus Jorl is identified as an Elephant or Fant, but also as a Lox, from Loxodonta africana .

The list below identifies the races of characters seen in this book, but is only a small portion of the raised mammals that comprise the Alliance.

• Ailuros, Ailuropoda, Giant Panda. Jorl’s only friend during his time in the Patrol was an Ailuros named Dund. Krasnoi’s security team aboard the orbital station are all Pandas.

• Aplodon, Aplodontia, Mountain Beaver. A lieutenant sitting at navigation on the bridge of the Resolute Purpose was a Beaver.

• Bos, Bos, Yak. Senator Bish, chairman of the Committee of Information is a Yak. Jorl once wrote the foreword to a book by a Bos historian named Fenna. The most well-known Bos is probably Thelos, a mass murderer said to have been possessed by a demon.

• Brady, Bradypus, Three-toed Sloth. Druz, the personal assistant to the chair of the Senate’s Committee of Information is a Brady. So are Hrum and Morth, the captain and a lieutenant (respectively) of Jorl’s Patrol ship.

• Cans, Canis, Domestic Dog. Most of the rank and file members of Major Krasnoi’s crew are Cans.

• Cynomy , Cynomys, Prairie Dog. One of the “junior stature” races of the Alliance, the Cynomy include the civil parson who oversaw Lirlowil’s reclassification from citizen to resource. Senator Welv of the Committee of Information is also a Prairie Dog, as are a third of Senator Bish’s precognitivists (e.g., Tekki).

• Eleph, Elephas, Asian Elephant. Margda, the Matriarch of Barsk, was an Eleph, as was the legendary Pholo, the only Fant who could fly. Other Eleph include Emil, Phas, Grummel, Mickl, Rüsul, Shtev, and Yeft. Along with the Lox, Eleph make up the other half of the pair of races referred to as “Fant.”

• Feln, Felis, Cat. Several Feln worked at Krasnoi’s polar base, processing the Dying. There is also at least one Feln among the senators who comprise the Committee of Information.

• Geom, Geomys, Gopher. The secondary and tertiary navigation boards on the Resolute Purpose are manned by Geoms. Senator T’Minah of the Committee of Information is also a Geom. These are another of the “junior stature” races.

• Lep, Lepus, Hare. One of the senators on the Committee of Information is a Lep.

• Lox, Loxodonta, African Elephant. Jorl is a Lox, as was his friend Arlo, Arlo’s mother Kembü, Arlo’s wife Tolta, and their son, Pizlo (it should be noted that soulless children can also be born among the Eleph, the other race that together with the Lox comprise the “Fant”). Other Lox mentioned include Adri, Golub, Belti, Tral, and Yarva.

• Lutr, Lutra, Eurasian Otter. Lirlowil, the telepathic Speaker from Sharv, is a Lutr.

• Marmo, Marmot, Groundhog. This is another of the “junior stature” races. Two members of the Committee of Information are Marmos.

• Myrm, Myrmecophaga, Giant Anteater. Kengi, the communications officer on Jorl’s vessel during his time in the Patrol, was a Myrm.

• Nonyx, Acinonyx, Cheetah. Selishta is the Nonyx-Captain of the vessel Krasnoi used to abduct Dying Fant (and Jorl) while on Barsk.

• Taxi, Taxidea, Badger. The squad of six interrogators that questioned the Dying Fant at Krasnoi’s polar base were all Badgers.

• Theraonca, Panthera onca, Jaguar. Rismas, the ensign assigned to keep watch on Jorl while aboard the Resolute Purpose, is a Theraonca.

• Vulp, Vulpes, Fox. Another of the “junior stature” races of the Alliance. Shtev had a Vulp penpal on an Alliance medical station.

• Urs, Ursus, Bear. Krasnoi the Alliance Major is an Urs. As is a senator from the Committee of Information. Jorl recounts having met several Urs during his time in the Patrol.

Barsk is a watery world with only a single, uninhabitable continent located at its south pole and two chains of islands. These archipelagos lay just south of the equator and stretch east and west to span nearly a fifth of their hemisphere. The planet’s ubiquitous cloud cover ensures none of this is visible from orbit.

Within the archipelagos the islands differ from one another in shape and size, the largest as much as eighteen times the size of the smallest. Some possess natural harbors, some do not. All are within a day of hard paddling from at least one other, and most have a neighbor close enough that ferries transit back and forth from dawn to dusk. Beyond minor patches of beach, all are covered with rain forests representing several dozen types of meta-trees that could easily be considered the dominant native life form. On every island, the Fant have built their homes high in these trees, in a section that is always referred to as the Civilized Wood.

Belp—a central island of the eastern archipelago, famous for having a shape like a Lox’s left ear.

Emmt—a popular destination for young bachelors traveling from Keslo.

Gerd—a smallish, nearly circular island that is considered the central island of the western archipelago. Fant often refer to other islands in the chain with respect to their position relative to Gerd.

Kelpry—an island south and west of Gerd in the western archipelago.

Keslo—an island located near the northeastern portion of the western archipelago. It is home to Jorl ben Tral.

Phran—an island north of Gerd but still a good ways south and west of Keslo. On an eastern beach of Phran, Pizlo believes he will see his fifth moon in the near future.

Relfa—the westernmost island of the eastern archipelago, it is a popular destination for groups of young men crossing over from the other island chain.

Telba—an island to the north of Keslo. A Speaker there published a book of imramha after interviewing various adventurers.

Yargo—a tiny island in the southeastern section of the eastern archipelago, it is famous nowadays as the birthplace of Margda, the Matriarch of Barsk. Her childhood dwelling, once home to nearly a hundred children, mothers, aunts, and female cousins, is now a vast museum, complete with research library and gift shop. Tours are given twice daily.

Zlorka—a part of the western archipelago, it is considered the most cosmopolitan of islands. Zlorka is the only land mass on the planet to touch the equator. It is home to the premiere university on Barsk, as well as the anchor point for the space elevator that transports goods to an automated station in orbit.

Barsk has seven natural moons orbiting it (eight if you count the artificial station that serves as the planet’s export facility and hovers at the top of the space elevator high above the only island situated on the equator). Every schoolchild knows that rain is the greatest constant on the planet, and regardless of the season the skies are always filled with clouds. That said, weather is by definition a dynamic system, and the only true constant is that now and then you have to expect inconstancy. So it is that at times a small patch of cloud will clear and a view of the sky occurs for anyone lucky enough to be there to enjoy it. On exceptionally rare and unpredictable occasions, that brief opening will align with a particular orbit and allow a glimpse of one of the moons. Of course, living within their islands’ respective Civilized Woods, most Fant are not out and about with a view of the sky when such providence occurs. Most females go their entire lives without seeing a moon, and though males are more apt to be in the right time and place while traveling between islands, even so it is considered a moment of profound portents to see a moon.