Hannah Ross - The Last Outpost - An Antarctic Dystopia

Scott knew now. These were penguin eggs — he had heard back in Tierra del Fuego about people eating them, but never thought he would dare to try it himself.

“These are very, very good,” Ki Tahan said earnestly. “My brother go to bay, bring some back. Last this year, I think. The maharaki have now finished making their nests. They are raising their young. Meat good, too. Lots of fat. Egan!” she called out to her son and the little boy came running from outside, eager for his share of penguin egg.

Scott looked doubtfully at the murky, rubbery-looking ball in front of him, while the Anai were happily eating theirs. Finally, plucking up the courage, he bit into his egg, and chewed on the white and a bit of the yolk. The taste surprised him — gamey and fishy, it was nevertheless good, very rich, though he still thought he might prefer chicken eggs for his omelet.

An almost accidental look at his watch startled him as he noticed how much time had passed. The research team at AN-85 must be livid, and he expected his portable radio to beep any moment. “I must go now, I’m afraid,” he said with obvious reluctance. “Time to go back.”

Ki Tahan nodded. “But come back soon, yes? Egan love to play with you.” The boy, shyly and surreptitiously, sidled up to Scott and put a freshwater shell in his hand, and Scott thanked him and pocketed the shell with an expression of tenderness.

As before, Ri Omrek volunteered to walk with him to the edge of the valley. His sister stayed home, to put the fish that did not go into the stew up to dry. Dried fish was an important article of the Anai diet in the cold, dark, long winter, and winter preparations, including putting up food and curing sealskins for clothes, began as early as spring.

“Next time you come,” Ri Omrek said as they were walking, “if you want to, you might go with us to sea. We hunt… you would like to, yes?”

Ri Omrek sounded so sure of the answer that Scott could hardly have said no. Like most modern Americans, he did not hold hunting in much esteem, but he realized its necessity to the lives of the Anai, and was flattered by the invitation. “If I can, I’d love to go with you.”

They passed a great, tall hulk of a man at the edge of the settlement. He was taller, bigger and wider than Ri Omrek, and though he nodded to the latter, Scott felt that the man’s light blue eyes pierced him with distrustful scrutiny. He had platinum-blonde hair pulled into a braid at the back of his head and, though the Anai usually had very little growth on their faces, a dense, close-cropped beard and mustache. Scott could feel the man’s eyes upon his back as they kept going.

“Who is that?” he asked, unsettled.

“That is Ne Tarveg,” his companion said. “He is some years older than I, but lives here alone on the side of village.”

“He doesn’t look very happy. Why does he stare at me like that?”

Ri Omrek sighed. “He is not happy. From when he was younger… a boy, he wanted Tahan for his woman. He ask, but she say no. Later Daygan come, Tahan happy, but Ne Tarveg stay alone. Sometimes, look at Tahan… when Daygan not notice. Then,” a cloud passed over Ri Omrek’s face, “Daygan go to land of darkness. Some time pass, and Ne Tarveg hope that now, Tahan agree to be his woman. He ask, but she say no again. So he not happy. He not like to see any man around Tahan. Even Anders,” he concluded with a chuckle.

Scott was a little discomposed, though he tried to conceal it. The cold hardness in the bearded man’s stare reminded him of something uncomfortable, though he could not quite pinpoint what. It was getting late. He thanked Ri Omrek and continued his solitary trek up the path leading out to the valley.

Sue clicked her tongue impatiently and checked her watch upon seeing him. “I have no idea what you could possibly have been doing there that long,” she said. “Come, now, we should get ready to go back. We’ve packed up our stuff some time ago, and there’s no good reason to stay overnight.”

Though it was rather late, the long day and fine, clear weather allowed the team to make it back to McMurdo without any difficulties. Sue checked her watch and sighed exasperatedly. “We’ve missed dinner,” she said, “but maybe there are some wraps and sandwiches left for us.”

They felt something was off the moment they set foot at McMurdo station and walked into building 155. Evening and night shift were supposed to be marked by lower-gear activity, but many people were milling about, in the corridors, near the galley, talking to each other in hushed, harried voices. Frowning, Scott stepped ahead, looking for Jerry Gordon or someone else who could possibly tell him what was going on. Before he proceeded five steps, he nearly collided with Zoe, who was immersed in an internet page on her phone. Though phones did not work for normal calls, they were handy for speedy access to the internet, and many people chose to carry them around.

“Buck! Sorry, I think I stepped on your foot. Do you know…? But maybe you don’t, you’ve only just got back, right?”

“Know what?” Scott frowned. They drew aside to a quiet corner, and Zoe showed him her phone screen.

“The United States have declared war on North Korea. Soldiers are being deployed as we speak.”

Paling at once, Scott took the phone from her and held it with shaking fingers. The letters he read on the screen danced before his eyes, an urgent statement from President Logan and his military attaches. ‘ Unexpected bombing of United States marine base… North Korea threat to civilization and peace… American citizens will be protected… General mobilization is taking place at these hours…’

“It looks like we’re in deep shit, Buck,” Zoe commented. “General mobilization? I’ve never heard of such a thing in my lifetime. And I don’t think it was necessary. Logan is an idiot. Instead of taking care of a threat, he sets out to annihilate a whole country out of spite.”

Scott glanced at the time and date of the article. It had been published no more than two hours ago. Then he looked at his watch. It was the middle of the night in both Wisconsin and Dakota. Brianna, as well as his sister and her family, might be sound asleep and perfectly oblivious to the world turmoil going on. But he couldn’t help thinking about Laura’s husband, who was an ex-marine. General mobilization meant that men like him would be the first to be deployed. He had to call, even if he risked waking people.

“Here you go,” he said, giving back Zoe’s phone. “And, Zoe… if I were you, I’d make sure the communications center is well attended right now. People will want to be getting in touch with their families.”

“It’s not my shift right now,” Zoe said with a weak smile. “I’m quite at leisure to walk around and worry to my heart’s content.”

Despite the unusual hour, Laura answered his Skype call at once, and didn’t sound remotely sleepy. “Hi there, Scott. Yes, we know. We know it all. Harry got a message before the official statement was released to the press. He is going away on Monday.” Though she was trying to control herself, her voice caught, and Scott ached to put his arms around her and reassure her, though reassurance was hardly possible at the moment.

“Laura…”

“It’s alright. Really, I don’t want to overreact. It’s not like he is going to be sent overseas in the first line. They are going to some camp… well, it doesn’t matter. Everything is running smoothly here on the farm, and I should be fine here by myself for a while. And there’s no definite time limit on his deployment — he might be home next month for all we know.”

Both of them fell silent for a second, not wishing to voice, or even to think of the terrible possibility that Harry might never make it home at all.