Gene Wolfe: Exodus from the Long Sun

“There were two of you, clearly.” She had taken her big wooden prayer beads from her pocket; she ran them through her fingers, comforted by their familiar shapes.

“No, only one, and that one is neither here nor there. As we aged, Cousin Tarsier made us new bodies out of chems. Lemur got the first one, and the rest of us later as we came to need them, bodies we can work from our beds. I can’t enjoy food, but I eat. I’m feeding intravenously right now.”

“What became of the chems?” Maytera Mint managed to keep her voice steady. “Of their minds?”

“I thought you were going to ask me whether he made the others more than one.”

“No. Clearly he did, or someone did. But you got this body from another person. And — and changed it to look like you? You must have. Did he consent to any of that?”

“The logical question is whether there are two of all of us.” Potto struck the table with his fist. “You didn’t even ask how I got the wood to burn. How am I supposed to deal with someone who won’t stick to the point?”

Remora began, “I, ah—” But Potto was not through. “By sticking with the point myself. That’s it! I may soon stick with one so well that it sticks out your back.” He turned to Remora. “Yes, Patera. You were about to say…?”

“I was, um, speculating, Councillor, upon how you ignited that wood so, er, effortlessly. I, um, hope that you will, um, consent to ah — illuminate that matter for us.”

“I am not going to sit here teaching a butcher chemistry. Can’t either of you understand that once I’ve told you what I want, I don’t want it? What are you doing here anyway? Dear General Mint’s the leader, after Silk. Why are you here?”

“To, er, mediate. We, um, His Cognizance and, hum—”

“To bring peace,” Maytera Mint declared. “Calde Silk has offered to let all of you keep your seats under the Charter. Considering all that’s happened, I think it very generous.”

“For life?”

Remora touched her arm, and she found it easy to interpret the jesture. “Is there a provision for life tenure? If so, I imagine it might be invoked.” Remora shook his head; the motion was slight, but she saw it.

Potto smiled; it was so unexpected that she wondered for a moment whether she had unwittingly promised a return to power.

Seeing it, Remora positively beamed. “Better! Oh, indeed! Must be mends, eh? Friends can make peace, foes, er, unable.”

“You misunderstand my expression, Patera.”

“I, um, hail and approve it. Time — ah — sufficient for understanding, er, presently. Maybe I put forward a proposal, Councillor? General? My wish, a heartfelt suggestion. That we — ah — solemnly convene at the present moment, offering our prayer to the Nine. Our petition, if you will, that—”

“Shut up,” Potto snapped. “I’ve got the key, and you go on blathering. Calde Silk sent you, General. Is that right?”

“He would approve of my coming, certainly. For days we’ve been trying to reach you councillors on our glasses. I thought we might try this.”

When Potto did not reply, she added, “His Eminence was chosen as an intermediary by your Brigadier Erne and our calde. Soon after, as I understand it, His Cognizance offered his help as well. We were and are overjoyed. I would hope—”

“You can’t speak for him,” Potto told her. “You may think you can, or that Patera here can, but you can’t. I’ve known him a long time, and there’s not a more malicious and unpredictable person in the city. Not even me. You’re a general, General?”

She nodded. “Appointed by Divine Echidna in a theophany. My instructions,” she amended them mentally in the interests of peace, “were to tear down the Alambrera and see to it that Viron remained loyal to Scylla. If you’re asking my position in the command structure, Calde Silk is the head of our government, civil as well as military. Generalissimo Oosik is our supreme military commander. I am in charge of the armed populace, and General Skate commands the Calde’s Guard.”

Potto tittered. “Then you’ve a firm grasp of the military situation. I don’t. Lemur was our military man. Explain our circumstances to me, General, so we can start together.”

“You’re serious?”

He rocked with silent merriment. “Never more.”

“As you wish. After Ophidian Echidna’s theophany, we had about thirty thousand troopers. Not that there were that many witnesses, or half that many, but a great many who heard what had happened from others joined us. Some were Guardsmen, none, I think, above captain. You, the Ayuntamiento, called out the Army, giving you something like seven thousand soldiers, besides the twenty-four thousand troopers of your Civil Guard.”

“Go on,” Potto told her. “None of this is quite right, but it’s interesting.”

“My figures for the Guard come from Generalissimo Oosik, who was certainly in a position to know. Those for the Army, from Sergeant Sand, the leader of those brave soldiers who saw that true loyalty lay in siding with the calde.”

Potto was still grinning. “Excuse the interruption.”

“I was about to say that since then we’ve gained strength, and you’ve lost it. By shadelow, we had nearly reached our present total of about fifty thousand. I’m referring to my own troops here. That night, every brigade of your Civil Guard went over to the calde except the Fourth. The Fourth and the Third, which was the generalissimo’s, had been holding the Palatine. The Fourth, commanded by Brigadier Erne was driven from it next day, and into the northern suburbs.”

“Where it still is.”

“That’s correct. We had fires all over the city to fight, hundreds of them, and we’ve been busy trying to get ourselves organized. When the Alambrera surrendered, we got thousands of slug guns and hundreds of thousands of rounds of arnmunition. We had to see to it that they went to people of good character. Furthermore, there’s a feeling that the Fourth Brigade might come over to our side in another day or two. Calde Silk and Generalissimo Oosik think so, and so do I. I’m told that His Cognizance is of the same opinion.”

Remora cleared his throat. “It was, hmp!, Brigadier Erne who, um, entreated me to — ah — initiate? To set in motion these negotiations. I, er, thereafter — shortly thereafter — sought out the calde, whom, um, approved likewise. I can — am able and — ah — authorized. The brigadier’s viewpoint.”

“Not now,” Potto told him. “General, could you crush the Fourth Brigade? Suppose Silk ordered it.”

“Certainly, in two or three hours. Less if I had a few taluses and floaters, as well as my people. But we’d rather not, obviously, in view of the loss of—”

“Not to me!” Potto chortled. “It’s not obvious to me! Is the bloodshed really what’s bothering you?”

“I should think it would bother anyone.”

“Well, you’re right, but you’re wrong too. The bloodshed wouldn’t bother me, but why shouldn’t you take five thousand prime troopers if you can get them? We would. Are those the only reasons, General?”

“I’ll be frank. There’s another aspect. You, by which I mean the Ayuntamiento, are down in the tunnels with most of the Army and a few troopers.”

“Nearly a thousand.”

“Setting them aside, you must have about seven thousand soldiers down there.”

Potto’s grin widened.

“More? Very well, if you say so. Seven thousand was our estimate. In any case, if we got deeply involved in an attack on the Fourth, which shouldn’t be our primary objective anyway, you might make a sortie from the tunnels and strike us from behind. According to reports I’ve had, it takes at least four of my troopers to match a soldier, which means that your seven thousand that’s the figure we discussed — are equivalent to twenty-eight thousand of mine. We didn’t feel we could risk it. I should say that we don’t feel we can as yet.”