Instalment Thirty

Chapter Twenty-nine - Common Cause

‘We have Lieutenant Cathcart from New Mawson coming over. She wanted to say some things about Commander Mondale’s actions prior to the...’

Domingo Torres paused and looked to Daniel Ektov. Rainer wondered what Daniel would say. The U.N. had called the Australian attack on Progress a police action. New South Wales had been calling it a justified reclamation of territory - amongst their more colourful statements, which included their defence minister saying they had “a fucking right to attack rebels”.

But what are the rebels calling the fight?

‘Battle of the Bases,’ said Daniel.

And Rainer had his answer. Straightforward title. With little to no political baggage. Rainer smiled, warming to the rebels.

‘I’m not here to take testimony,’ he said. ‘The actions prior to the Battle of the Bases.’ When in Rome. ‘That’s New South Wales’ jurisdiction.’

The door to the room opened and a woman in the standard red parka of the Glen-Corndale company entered. Her long blonde hair caught in its creases and velcro fastenings, but Rainer noticed the military training in the way she entered the room and sat at the table, clipped and stiff.

‘Jenny, this is Rainer Fentiman, U.N. Special Envoy,’ Domingo said with a waft of his hand towards him.

‘Mr. Fentiman.’

‘Lieutenant,’ he acknowledged.

‘Not any more. I’m a civilian now.’

He didn’t believe this woman knew what it was to be a civilian. ‘Ms. Cathcart. What do you think I can do for you?’

Out the corner of his eye he saw Daniel and Gordon watching. The measure of the U.N. is taking place right now. But my hands are tied.

‘I want it on record that Commander Mondale breached his duty of care towards the thirty people he left at New Mawson without heating fuel, food supplies or weapons to defend themselves with. And the eighteen soldiers he locked up at Casey without the same.’

Rainer knew some of the story. At least what the New South Wales guys were saying. And it wasn’t quite this. How much negotiating space can I create between these two factions to benefit the U.N.?

‘I can ask for an inquiry to take place so your deposition can be made. Are you saying this is a war crime?’

Daniel’s movement as he sat back into his seat caused Rainer to look in his direction.

‘Are you saying war crimes took place?’ he asked Daniel.

‘We’d like to take you to inspect the remains of New Mawson. Tomorrow. Is that agreeable?’ asked Domingo.

Rainer had already sussed out the good cop/bad cop routine that Domingo and Daniel were playing. But the silence from Gordon Murcheson was unnerving. What’s his role in this meeting?

‘I’m here to broker a deal,’ Rainer said. ‘We want reassurances you aren’t going to invade sovereign territories. How is visiting New Mawson going to bring that about?’

‘We’ve declared UDI for the whole continent,’ said Gordon. ‘Every base except New Mawson, Casey and Melchior agreed. Casey is empty, New Mawson is ash and Melchior voted to join because of piracy. We aren’t going to invade anywhere. This is our sovereign territory.’

Gordon’s role is to be the immovable object. Rainer sighed as his wriggle-room evaporated.

‘All right. I’ll visit New Mawson. But it’s not up to me whether the U.N. will investigate what took place.’

Jenny Cathcart rose, her chair scraping along the floor. She threw him a glare that pierced his conscience and in that moment he hated his part in this diplomatic game.

Domingo stood, pushing his chair back more gently calling out ‘Jenny,’ as she reached the door.

The door closed behind her.

‘Excuse me, gentlemen. I’ll catch up with you in the dining hall,’ said Domingo and headed out.

Rainer was left with the lions.

‘I can’t offer you recognition,’ he said, his hands flattening out along the table top as if he was stroking it. ‘We need New South Wales’ minerals to rebuild with. But I can offer you bureaucratic disinterest.’

Daniel smiled at him while Gordon studied the table’s surface. Maybe looking for the fur I’m imagining.‘

We won’t be handing over Mondale then,’ said Daniel. ‘We’re happy to ship any Australians who don’t want to remain here to New Zealand for repatriation. But not him.’

‘He said in broadcasts that surrender was not an option. We have the recordings,’ said Gordon. ‘We also have the mayday messages that New Mawson put out during the pirate attack. We’ll be offering these to international news agencies.’

Gordon’s tone dripped with dangerous undercurrents. Rainer had read the reports on the growing piracy in T.d’F. and around Australian and New Zealand waters. It was hardly a leap of imagination to realise they’d clearly attacked here too. So much common cause existed between them and the U.N.. He wished he was allowed to make use of it. His report back, half written in his head, would emphasise how big a mistake the U.N. was making in not recognising the A.F.S..

*

‘Domingo, I don’t care what you have to say.’ Jenny had finally turned to face him in the middle of the square. Her eyes were red-rimmed with tiny white crystals of ice smeared from their edges.

‘We’re taking Rainer to New Mawson, Arne has some sort of plan. You have to trust us,’ he said, low and close to her.

‘Why didn’t you say?’ she matched his whispered tone.

‘Because we aren’t sure who we can trust? Information is being leaked. We’re hearing back from contacts in New South Wales things they shouldn’t know. Worse, Global are making overtures to set up new operations alongside the ones we’ve nationalised.’

‘And you thought I was a risk?’

Domingo shook his head. ‘No. No. Jenny. I know what you gave up. What you lost. I know how that feels. We just... Daniel thought it better to keep to the three of us. Not even Clarissa or Leon know. And God knows I trust Clarissa.’

‘But not Leon?’

He shook his head again. What am I doing? This is all stuff we agreed not to divulge.

Ernesto had sent him intercepted messages that Leon was sending to someone in Tierra del Fuego and Daniel had said they needed more intel to build something to trap him with.

‘I can help, Domingo. Let me talk to some of the guys from Casey.’

Ernesto’s predictions about spies and sedition have already come to pass. And while he still hated the idea of an Intelligence Service he couldn’t argue against it. Why shouldn’t I take Jenny up on her offer?

‘Let me set up a meeting for you with Daniel and Ernesto.’

She wiped the ice off her cheekbones and smiled.

‘Thank you. You won’t regret it.’

‘I know.’

She turned from him and carried on walking in her quick-march step through the square until Domingo lost her in a gaggle of people outside the dining hall.

Domingo didn’t want to return to the Admin Hub. Not to the sordid business of bargaining for our freedom with a cover-up of what happened at New Mawson.

*

The airplane sat on the ice. Rainer had been told it was a Cessna Caravan which had meant nothing to him. But his shoulders bunched at the sight. It was tiny. Rickety almost, especially with its welded on fuel tank. New Mawson was nearly four thousand kilometres away. The tank meant he’d be landing on a makeshift, scraped-ice runway only three times instead of four. Once at a short-refuel station briefly, then Polar Station for a full refuel and then at New Mawson. Momentarily he wondered if the rebels were trying to kill him in an ‘accident’, but he remembered Domingo Torres would be with him and discounted the idea. New Mawson was where Australians, left behind by Mondale, had died in an accidental fire - according to New South Wales officials. What’s so important they want to take me there?

After the first ten minute stop, the constant drone inside the aircraft was making him drowsy. His sleep had been patchy. Too light in Weddell Base... City... Whatever. A range of names for the same place is nothing new to Antarctica.

Rainer’s sympathy for the rebels had him idly pull at his U.N. button badge to scrutinise it. They were attempting to unite almost as many nationalities under their new flag, as had once convened under the U.N.’s. His enamel badge showed the olive-branch-enclosed world. There was no Antarctica. Australia was an unrecognisable smear. It spoke to the historic dominance of the Northern Hemisphere. Not now. The Miyake Event has seen to that. The places recovering fastest are all close to or south of the equator.

Domingo returned to his seat across from Rainer having spoken to the pilot.

‘We’re twenty minutes from Polar Station. They said forty-five minutes to re-fuel so we’ll have time to eat.’

‘How long from there to New Mawson?’ he asked. The relentless whiteness that filled his window view had given him little sense of time passing and his watch had died from the cold sometime yesterday evening.

‘Another six hours.’

Rainer though his tone was apologetic, as if Domingo thought it was personally his fault the continent was so huge.

‘Do you really think you can keep all the bases united?’

The question was out of his mouth before he could think better of it. A sign of how shattered he was. It didn’t seem to faze Domingo.

‘We managed to work together for over four years, I don’t see why we can’t continue. Especially if, as you’ve been saying, the U.N. won’t recognise our independence. Surely you’re aware how denied statehood can rally a people together?’

‘If it was up to me...’ Rainer shrugged but didn’t continue because his stomach shifted upwards, as the plane sank suddenly on its descent. Instead he gripped the seat arm.

Rainer found himself being gently shaken awake by Domingo in the padded orange seat at Polar Station. The left side of his neck ached from the stretch he’d fallen into. Another uncomfortable journey loomed and for what? What is this Captain Dale going to show me if New Mawson truly is a burnt shell?

The pain in his neck muscles was making him uncharacteristically grumpy. He took a deep breath in and out and let go of his annoyance. He was here to find the balance between New South Wales and the A.F.S. that would benefit the U.N.. Nothing more. He had to accept it wasn’t the direction he personally wanted to go in. The U.N. had been good to him and his family. They lived in a safe, gated community in the city of Campeche in the newly formed state of Greater Yucatan. Outside those gates is far from safe.

Rainer’s bosses had thought he’d be able to get through to Domingo Torres. And everyone at the U.N. had thought Domingo was the prime mover of the UDI. Now, Rainer had found he was dealing with a triumvirate. I have no levers for Daniel Ektov or Gordon Murcheson. Resigned to returning without a deal, he worried all he would salvage from this debacle was access to New South Wales’ minerals. Which will be shit, but better than some of the scenarios I’ve worked through.

Three hours into the third part of his journey Rainer was staring out the Cessna’s window hoping to see something different. But Eastern Antarctica was the least altered part of the continent: except for the Gamburtsev mountains. The view looked like it always had - simply two and a half vertical kilometres of ice everywhere.

Thinking of the Gamburtsev Mountains brought Global Corporation, another of Rainer’s problems, into relief. The company had illegally stripped the ice to reveal those mountains, setting up mines inside. The solar flares and Miyake Event haven’t dented their ability to be a worldwide player and they’ve got influence inside the U.N.. And inside the new compliant states we’ve created with our twelve million population rule.

He glanced over to find Domingo asleep, head pressed against a window. How are the rebels going to see off Global if the U.N. can’t?

The future of the world felt fragile. Has this delicate, snowbound country got the strength to stay intact or in melting to nothing, is it going to create horrible new cracks?