Theseus in the Labyrinth
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Correct Answer
I AM STILL NOT SURE WHICH OF THE TWO CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF THE UNDERGROUND ARCHIVE. IT WILL HAVE APPEALED TO BLACK AS A WAY TO PROVIDE SECURITY TO HIS OPERATION, BUT A CIVIL ENGINEERING PROJECT OF THIS SCALE DOESN’T SEEM LIKE HIS SORT OF THING, SO I THINK IT MUST HAVE BEEN CONCEIVED BY CHARLES GREY. THE FIRST TUBE LINE HAD BEEN OPENED IN 1863 AND LONDON WAS FULL OF LABOURERS AND ENGINEERS WITH THE SKILLS NEEDED TO BUILD THE SHADOW ARCHIVE DEEP BENEATH NEW SCOTLAND YARD. GETTING ACCESS WAS NOT GOING TO BE EASY WITHOUT HARRY’S HELP, BUT I STILL DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH TO GIVE HIM THE EXCUSE HE WOULD NEED TO GET OPENLY INVOLVED. MY RECONNAISSANCE HAD HELPED ME TO FIND THE ARCHIVE, BUT IT DIDN’T GIVE ME ANY OBVIOUS WAY IN. THE DUCT THAT HAD COST ME THE LIDAR WAS FAR TOO NARROW FOR ME TO SCALE, AND ACCESS THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR WAS TOO RISKY, SO I TOOK A GAMBLE AND SPENT ANOTHER MISERABLE FORTNIGHT EXPLORING THE LABYRINTH OF SEWERS AND TUNNEL SYSTEMS AROUND THE NEIGHBOURHOOD.
GPS WAS USELESS DOWN THERE AND I COULD EASILY HAVE GOT LOST, BUT I MARKED THE TUNNELS, AND ON OCCASIONS USED THESEUS’ TRICK OF A BALL OF TWINE TO HELP ME NAVIGATE BACK. I MOVED QUIETLY AND KEPT AN EYE OUT FOR SENSORS. I HAD NO IDEA WHETHER THE SHADOW ARCHIVE WAS STILL OPERATIONAL OR NOT, BUT IF IT WAS THEN SECURITY WOULD BE TIGHT, AND I COULDN’T BE SURE IF THEY WERE USING INFRARED OR SEISMOMETERS FOR INTRUSION DETECTION, SO I LAYERED UP WITH INSULATION AND MOVED SLOWLY. IT WAS HORRIBLE. I WAS HOT, DAMP AND THE AIR SMELLED OF SEWAGE AND MOULD. I WAS JUST ABOUT TO GIVE UP WHEN I FOUND A STEEL DOOR MARKED WITH THE INITIALS VRI, VICTORIA REGINA IMPERATRIX.
IT WAS INCONGRUOUS IN THAT DARK AND DANK TUNNEL, BUT MORE SIGNIFICANTLY IT CARRIED THE TRADE MARK TANN ON THE LOCK. JOHN TANN WAS ONE OF THE TOP SAFE MAKERS IN VICTORIAN LONDON AND I HAD CRACKED ONE OR TWO OF HIS SAFES IN MY OTHER LIFE AS A CAT BURGLAR. THIS WAS BIG AND HEAVY AND VERY RUSTY. THAT TOLD ME TWO THINGS: NO-ONE HAD USED IT IN A VERY LONG TIME, AND NO-ONE HAD UPGRADED IT IN JUST AS LONG. IF THE ROOM BEHIND IT WAS STILL IN USE THEN SOMEONE WOULD HAVE BEEN MAINTAINING THE LOCK, SO ALL MY PRECAUTIONS WERE PROBABLY UNNECESSARY, BUT NO-ONE HAD PAID FOR A TANN SAFE WITHOUT SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO HIDE SO I DECIDED TO TACKLE THE LOCK AND AFTER ANOTHER EIGHTEEN HOURS OF GRIM WORK I WAS IN. I HAD FOUND THE SHADOW ARCHIVE.
Gladstone or Disraeli?
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Correct Answer
THE APRIL UPRISING IN BULGARIA AND ITS BRUTAL SUPPRESSION BY THE TURKS HAS CAUSED OUTRAGE IN THE CHANCELLERIES OF EUROPE THERE IS A RISK THAT RUSSIA WILL TAKE THIS AS THE EXCUSE IT SEEKS TO ENGAGE THE OTTOMANS AND IF THEY ACT AND TAKE CONSTANTINOPLE THEN OUR TRADING ROUTES TO INDIA WILL BE UNDER THREATAT HOME GLADSTONES PAMPHLET BULGARIAN HORRORS AND THE QUESTION OF THE EAST HAS STIRRED A PUBLIC APPETITE FOR ACTION WHICH COULD LEAD TO SUPPORT FOR INTERVENTION AND MAKE THINGS DIFFICULT FOR THE PRIME MINISTER HE IS FACED WITH MORTONS FORK IF HE SUPPORTS ACTION THEN IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO CONDEMN RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE IF HE COUNSELS INACTION THEN HE RISK APPEARING WEAK AND CALLOUS AT HOME AND ABROAD IT MAY APPEAR UNFORTUNATE THAT OUR POLITICAL LEADERS ARE UNABLE TO AGREE ON POLICY STRATEGY OR TACTICS AND IT IS TRUE THAT THIS COULD LEAD TO CONFUSION ABOUT OUR AIMS BUT ON REFLECTION I THINK THAT THE PUBLIC DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN GLADSTONE AND DISRAELI PRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY THEIR DISPUTE CONDUCTED IN PARLIAMENT AND THE PRESS DEMONSTRATES TO THE WORLD THE TWO FACES OF THE EMPIRE AT THE SAME TIME MORALLY ENGAGED AND YET PRUDENT THIS MAY ALLOW US TO PROCEED WITH DISCRETION TO TRY TO INFLUENCE THE ACTORS AND TO DIRECT THE PLAY AWAY FROM THE GLARE OF THE FOOTLIGHTS IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO ENGAGE THE LEAGUE OF THE THREE EMPERORS TO OUR CAUSEBISMARCK IS PARTICULARLY KEEN TO MAINTAIN A BALANCE OF POWER IN THE REGION AND TO AVOID FURTHER WAR AND HE WILL NOT NEED TO BE CONVINCED THAT AN UNBRIDLED RUSSIA IS NOT TO HIS ADVANTAGE SO I THINK WE CAN RELY ON HIM TO REIN IN RUSSIAS EXPANSIONARY VISIONON THE OTHER HAND THE LEAGUE ITSELF MAY PRESENT A LONGER TERM THREAT TO THE EMPIRE GIVEN THE BREADTH OF ITS INFLUENCE IN NORTHERN EUROPE AND WE MUST TREAD CAREFULLYTHE EMPERORS ENVOYS WILL BE MEETING IN REICHSTADT SOON TO DETERMINE THE RESPONSE TO THE CRISIS AND I NEED A PLAN TO INFLUENCE THE OUTCOME AS ALWAYS OUR STRATEGY MUST BE TO SOW CONFUSION AND ON THIS I PLAN TO ASK FOR ADVICE FROM BARON PLAYFAIR HE HAS RECENTLY CONCLUDED HIS COMMISSION OF ENQUIRY INTO THE CIVIL SERVICE AND IF ANYONE KNOWS HOW TO CONTROL AN AGENDA IT MUST BE OUR OWN CIVIL SERVANTS