The Tale of Jimiik the Mad
As jobs went, hereditary president wasn’t bad, Jimiik thought. He had never really aspired to, or expected the job but after the accident that killed his father and brother, Jimiik had been elected president by the sole detail that he was his father’s son. Ruling wasn’t too bad. One of the first things Jimiik had been told was that you could do as little or as much as you liked. Jimiik had no interest in ruling but with access to all the presidential archives, it would allow him to indulge his favourite past-time – history. If Jimiik hadn’t been born a Gotheroth he would have become a historian.
Jimiik pressed a button on the console in front of him. “What documents do we have on the foundation of the Republic?” he asked.
“There are several rooms, in the vaults of the Presidential Palace, full of classified documents from that period,” came the reply.
Jimiik cracked his fingers in anticipation. This just got better. Jimiik got out his per-pad and started to write the Preface.
‘The war that established the Republic and its unique system of hereditary presidents has been known throughout the centuries by several names; the most common one is The Android Uprising.’
Jimiik stopped to reflect, everyone knew the story; previous to the Republic, there had been a civilisation that included not only people, but also a number of androids – artificial people. Then the androids had risen in revolt, for what reason was never entirely clear. There had been a brief and brutal war and contact had been lost with other parts of the Sphere. Eventually though, the androids and their human co-revolutionaries had been defeated and peace had prevailed.
One of the laws passed as a result of the war was that being an android was now a capital crime, Jimiik had often wondered about that. Could a machine die? It was a question more for philosophers rather than historians.
Jimiik pressed a button on the console in front of him. “What documents do we have on the foundation of the Republic?” he asked.
“There are several rooms, in the vaults of the Presidential Palace, full of classified documents from that period,” came the reply.
Jimiik cracked his fingers in anticipation. This just got better. Jimiik got out his per-pad and started to write the Preface.
‘The war that established the Republic and its unique system of hereditary presidents has been known throughout the centuries by several names; the most common one is The Android Uprising.’
Jimiik stopped to reflect, everyone knew the story; previous to the Republic, there had been a civilisation that included not only people, but also a number of androids – artificial people. Then the androids had risen in revolt, for what reason was never entirely clear. There had been a brief and brutal war and contact had been lost with other parts of the Sphere. Eventually though, the androids and their human co-revolutionaries had been defeated and peace had prevailed.
One of the laws passed as a result of the war was that being an android was now a capital crime, Jimiik had often wondered about that. Could a machine die? It was a question more for philosophers rather than historians.
Jimiik stared at the boxes and boxes of perma-paper and disks piled high to the ceiling, as he did his mind began to wander. He wondered whether androids still lived in other parts of the Sphere and if they had revolted in those regions as well.
There was enough information here to compose the definitive multi-volume history on the foundation of the Republic. Jimiik wanted his place in history He walked down the rows of documents listed by their year. The year of the Tuatara, that was the year the fighting broke out. This was where he would start.
There was enough information here to compose the definitive multi-volume history on the foundation of the Republic. Jimiik wanted his place in history He walked down the rows of documents listed by their year. The year of the Tuatara, that was the year the fighting broke out. This was where he would start.
The thing that drew Jimiik’s attention to the newspaper article was the name ‘Gotheroth’. The article wasn’t related to the coup, as the crime had been committed several years earlier, in the Year of the Swallowtail Butterfly. Nevertheless Jimiik was intrigued, he walked past the ceiling-high piles of documents until he found the court records for the relevant year. After several hours of searching Jimiik found what he was looking for, Abut Gotheroth had been sentenced to life-imprisonment in S5 for the murder of three women using an android proxy. Did the androids rise up in revenge? There was no hint of it in the rather dry court proceedings. Iit was only after reading the associated documents that Jimiik realised that the arresting officer had been an android. That was interesting, he had never realised that there had been androids in the security services. That would have made their betrayal so much easier.
Jimiik made some notes on his per-pad and returned to the documents relating to the year of the Tuatara.
It was several weeks when Jimiik found the first document relating to the initial uprising, it was a police report, reporting an armed uprising in Roquip, now the capital of the Beesidian Republic. Jimiik scanned the document until he found the name of the rebel leader – Thatherit Gotheroth. Jimiik stared at the document; that was the name of the first president, his ancestor many-times removed. There must be some mistake. He re-read the report several times, there could be no mistake. He put the document down and tried to reconcile the facts with what he knew. Then he realised; history was a lie. He began to shake and his hands began to sweat. The uprising hadn’t failed it had succeeded and the winners had re-written history.
President Jimiik the First forgot his presidential duties. He spent two weeks in the archives, only leaving for a full bladder or bowel. The more he researched, the more he discovered that the Republic’s existence was based on a lie, a carefully constructed lie that persecuted those who had initially defended law and order and carried out by those who carried a grudge.
Jimiik made some notes on his per-pad and returned to the documents relating to the year of the Tuatara.
It was several weeks when Jimiik found the first document relating to the initial uprising, it was a police report, reporting an armed uprising in Roquip, now the capital of the Beesidian Republic. Jimiik scanned the document until he found the name of the rebel leader – Thatherit Gotheroth. Jimiik stared at the document; that was the name of the first president, his ancestor many-times removed. There must be some mistake. He re-read the report several times, there could be no mistake. He put the document down and tried to reconcile the facts with what he knew. Then he realised; history was a lie. He began to shake and his hands began to sweat. The uprising hadn’t failed it had succeeded and the winners had re-written history.
President Jimiik the First forgot his presidential duties. He spent two weeks in the archives, only leaving for a full bladder or bowel. The more he researched, the more he discovered that the Republic’s existence was based on a lie, a carefully constructed lie that persecuted those who had initially defended law and order and carried out by those who carried a grudge.
“Sire you need to sign the new trade agreements with Fitolor and New Sidnee.”
“It’s all a lie,” Jimiik shouted at the under-secretary of state
“What is sire?”
“This all of this.” Jimiik waved his arm across the red office. He had been planning to announce his discoveries at a news conference, but frustration had got the better of him.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“The Republic, it is a lie. We were the rebels, we started the war. We killed anyone who stood in our way. I’ve read the accounts, the real ones, the original ones.”
The under-secretary of state stared at the president. “That may be so,” he replied. “However, the new trade agreements need signed.”
“It’s all a lie,” Jimiik shouted at the under-secretary of state
“What is sire?”
“This all of this.” Jimiik waved his arm across the red office. He had been planning to announce his discoveries at a news conference, but frustration had got the better of him.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“The Republic, it is a lie. We were the rebels, we started the war. We killed anyone who stood in our way. I’ve read the accounts, the real ones, the original ones.”
The under-secretary of state stared at the president. “That may be so,” he replied. “However, the new trade agreements need signed.”
“We cannot let the president, reveal what he believes.”
“Of course not, after all, it is lies.”
“Of course it is, but nevertheless, we cannot allow it to become public knowledge, if our enemies got hold of this … I shall announce that president has been taken ill with a mysterious illness; the vice-president will assume the reigns of the presidency until the crisis is over. See if we can get a look-a-like to fill in for the President over the next few weeks. One of those we use for the usual wave-and-greets.”
“Of course not, after all, it is lies.”
“Of course it is, but nevertheless, we cannot allow it to become public knowledge, if our enemies got hold of this … I shall announce that president has been taken ill with a mysterious illness; the vice-president will assume the reigns of the presidency until the crisis is over. See if we can get a look-a-like to fill in for the President over the next few weeks. One of those we use for the usual wave-and-greets.”
The assassination of President Jimiik by West Beesidian separatists on an official visit to Kaytoo was broadcast live on television. Three weeks of official mourning were declared. The repercussions were swift and brutal.
In a hospital in Port-Vin in the Province of Sat-Doth, a man in a public ward, who bore more than a passing resemblance to the late President, started shouting again. “I’m not dead. It is all lies.”
It took three nurses several minutes to apply enough sedative to calm him down.
“Thatherit was the rebel and the murderer,” he mumbled. “The Republic is a lie.”
The nurse shook her head. Cases of people who thought they really were a real famous person were rare and usually incurable. The patient would have to be sedated for the rest of his life.
The bureaucracy of the Republic had plenty of practice of re-writing history. In the years to follow the decisions made by Jimiik in his brief rule were subtly changed to appear more and more autocratic and random. In the years to come President Jimiik the First became known simply as Jimiik the Mad. The Beesidian Republic took the most appropriate revenge it could on those it considered traitors – even presidents.
It took three nurses several minutes to apply enough sedative to calm him down.
“Thatherit was the rebel and the murderer,” he mumbled. “The Republic is a lie.”
The nurse shook her head. Cases of people who thought they really were a real famous person were rare and usually incurable. The patient would have to be sedated for the rest of his life.
The bureaucracy of the Republic had plenty of practice of re-writing history. In the years to follow the decisions made by Jimiik in his brief rule were subtly changed to appear more and more autocratic and random. In the years to come President Jimiik the First became known simply as Jimiik the Mad. The Beesidian Republic took the most appropriate revenge it could on those it considered traitors – even presidents.
