Ersta 23, AC 230

By Dashor Anquany, Architectural Media Collective

I met up with Mereth Kahn, the master nouergist architect, at the villa he designed for the Nabasiris family, in Delta North. I hadn't seen Mereth since last year when he lectured at our Architectural Media Collective. If you want to see Mereth, and he feels like seeing you, he will let you know where he is. He designed the Nabasiris villa just a couple of years ago. It is a collection of low geometries arranged along the banks of a Delta rill, shaded by palms and sycamore figs, and quiet as only Delta North's remoter areas can be. Even in early spring, it's hot during the days here in northern Khemi. Mereth was wearing a white galabiya robe as he walked with me near the pool.

"I know you're recording," he said with a slight smile. "You always have it on, just in case something interesting happens." I knew he could deactivate my device with a single gesture. "Don't turn it off," he said. "I have no secrets to reveal." The sun shone off the white domes of the main building, accented by the golden octahedron of the finial at the main dome's apex. "Shedaku vernacular melded with Lanka modernism," said Mereth, referring to his architectural style. "When I build a villa, I like to include a guest residence that I would want to stay in. I've been staying at this pool pavilion the last few days, but I'll be leaving tomorrow to go back to Taris." Taris is his residence and the main headquarters of Familie Kahn, his family's architectural collaborative firm. "Meno's daughter is coming from Eridu and needs the guest space. The Eridu office staff moved here last week and took up most of the main building."

"Have you gotten much work since the Museum thing?" I asked. Last year, Mereth and his architect mother Zaha lost the Khemaru government's contract to build the "Museum of the First Lifewave," after a release from a theophoric committee judged the artifacts to be too full of dangerous nouergic residue to exhibit. The Museum was canceled, after millions of piasters had already been spent.

"I get work, all private residences. The Beauty and Order folks seem to be well-off these days. And they managed to turn the Museum contract around so that they'll build a "Museum of Khemaru Culture" instead. Mother's got plenty of work with that. The Path likes her."

"How about you?" I asked. " Are you joining up?" Mereth looked directly at me for the first time. "Taris has lots of hiding places," he said. "I love being quiet. They don't need to pay attention to me." I visualized Mereth in his stone paradise, carved out of the rock of an old quarry up-river. He had everything he needed there, a fully stocked studio and stronghold. Images and feelings shone in the nouetic clarity of shared imagination.

"I'll enjoy it while I can. I don't think I have much time before I will be required."

"Required for what?" I asked.

"Mennitha is coming back from Eridu. She said she had to get out before it was too late. I'll hear more from her tonight."

They are calling them "pre-fugees." Thousands of people are leaving Eridu, even though there is no warfare, no disaster. Not yet, at any rate. The Aurians continue to bring materiel to the border. All the information suggests a major invasion is coming. Something not too many people know is that last week, the government of Eridu abandoned the city and have slipped away to exile in Larsa, though they're not really welcome there. The situation in Eridu is so untended that hardly anyone notices that the government isn't there any more.

"The prognoses point to a natural disaster, not an invasion," said Mereth. They think that the Aurians are there to provide rescue and relief. And once they're doing that, they'll occupy the city. A double strategy, very clever if you know what's coming."

"And where do you fit in?" I asked.

"I know how buildings fall down," he said. "And I have high-energy capability to lift heavy loads. The nouergic response will be the quickest. The Surakosans have asked me to work with them when the time comes."

"Surakosans?" I said, astonished. "You'll work with Tanheu and his crew?"

"Ariadne is their nouergic disaster relief expert. It will be under her command. They've been preparing for years for something like this. And …the Surakosans asked me. No one in the Khemaru community has asked me to help. Of course, our government would be only too happy to see Eridu neutralized."

"You're sure about all of this? Why risk it in an occupied city?"

Mereth deliberated a while before answering. "Something is going to change. I don't know what it is. But I will be part of it. I see the convergence, and it is aiming me toward Eridu. Where I see so strong a convergence, I must follow. And besides …it will be an adventure. It will be something new.

Posted at 4:11 am | link

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