Swimming lessons - an Operation Hungry Walrus narrative

 

"A scorpion asks a frog to carry him over a river. The frog is afraid of being stung, but the scorpion argues that if it did so, both would sink and the scorpion would drown. The frog then agrees, but midway across the river the scorpion does indeed sting the frog, dooming them both. When asked why, the scorpion points out that this is its nature." The woman recited the tale by heart. A shadow of disappointment briefly appears on her face, only to remain unnoticed in the diaphanous light of her comlog.

The interior of the container was sparsely furnished: two armchairs, a stool, and a small round table. On the back side a Pangguling unit was powering three large terminals. A great variety of information was feeded into the screens, probably filtered and indexed by the geist of the owner. A thin figure stood in front of them, his back to the lady. “Correct, indeed… But if I tell you this tale could have a different ending?”

“It is unheard of”. The woman was bored by the request of the man to recite that tale, but this twist intrigued her. In the three months she worked for the diplomat she learnt to expect the unexpected or, at least, not to act surprised. An Uyghur yisheng working as personal assistant of an influential diplomat in a container in the docks of New Hipathia, this is unheard of!

The man went on, without looking away from the screens “When asked why, the scorpion points out a very small detail of arachnid physiology that makes us reconsider the hidden meaning of this child’s tale”.

“And what this may be?” the woman asked, with a smirk.

“The scorpion can swim.”. He paused, letting the women process the information. “What does this teach us?”.

The woman looked away from the data she was analyzing, mostly logistics. “Maybe that missing a crucial piece of information can ruin the process?”

“Precisely. Not knowing kills you. Knowledge is power. That’s the last thing I will ever teach you.” He paused. “ You may go.”

“What? So soon?”, she shouted, shocked.

“You did well, even for a top-class student from Tiě Heng Island Academy, definitely your scholarship was a good investment. I have this for you”, he replied, calm. On her comlog appeared a document. “It is a cover letter, read it, it bears your name, Tahani Marwan, just fill it with your agency of choice and I will make you be part of it within the week.”

“Really? Is that so?” She was incredulous.

“ I still have a number of people that owe me a favor, like my former apprentices. With this letter, no one will question your heritage or career. You deserve this.”

“No, I deserve more" she stood.

The man slowly turned around. “Well, well, well… What is it that makes you refuse such a generous offer? Aren’t you tempted by wealth or status?”.

“I can do more and I can have more. Teach me!” She tried to stay composed.

“Power, wealth, crackers… every bird has its price. What are you in the market for? What drives you?”, he pressed.

“Ambition”, words came out like a sigh of relief. “I want what you have, Diplomat Xi.”

The cover letter disappeared from the comlog. “Too many, before you, opted for a more seductive lifestyle and an easy career advancement. Squandered talents, no less!”. He sat on an armchair, “I’m not going to lie: you chose a life of dedication and no result is assured. However, I’m growing old and I could definitely use someone to keep up all the tasks”.

“Thank you, I won’t be a disappointment!”, she cheered up.

“Too soon to thank me, but we’ll start right away.” He paused. “I will be your swimming instructor”.