"That's all that you know of," Carter commented, "there are others on the fence who could be swayed on the Torgai issue; the wish for retribution is a strong motivator, and we can't be sure how many supporters he really has."
Yasu looked at Carter, and laughed "we keep better records in security than you think. We have files on everyone, including you. But seriously, the colony is badly fractionalized. John's group, the Johnsonites, some pacifist groups, others. Colin can't depend on majority support forever. Frankly, I'm worried. The Johnsonites look to me to be the biggest risk, and while we don't know their numbers or their leaders, we do know they successfully infiltrated the expedition. And, unfortunately, we don't know what they are really after. We can only guess from what they espoused on Earth. Unfortunately, those principles come closer to John's views than they do to ours."
"What do they stand for?" Eric asked, "I had hardly heard about them on Earth, and very little here. Why the concern?"
"They are, or were, a very dedicated group, almost a cult," Yasu responded, "initial screening was supposed to eliminate them in the selection process, but we now know some got through, although we don't know how many. As to what principles they stand for, we only have the computer files to rely on. Apparently they are a pseudo religious organization but with a strong injection of scientific orientation. Their prior agenda has included eugenics and enforced sterilization for improvement of the race, almost a superman complex. And not by any stretch democratic. They're very tightly controlled by their leadership and operate on a 'cell' structure that makes charting the organization difficult. The members become brainwashed, and they were suspect, but it was never proven, in a number of bombings and assassinations. You may remember the killing of several congressmen plus a room full of people in 2115, when someone detonated explosives strapped to his body during committee hearings. Johnsonites were suspected, but again not proven."
Eric frowned, "and we've got them here?"
Yasu nodded, "that's confirmed. How many, not known. Who, we can only identify three or four for sure, but suspect there are many more. And if they hold leadership positions even a small group of a dozen or two would be a concern."
"Well," Eric said, getting up, "that's not my problem, getting some sleep for an early start is. Is there anything more you want before I leave? We'll be gone by the time you get up."
"Just remember to stay in contact," Carter said.
Eric nodded, "with the new equipment it shouldn't be a problem. I'll try to brief you on our progress every couple of days or so. Well, the best to both of you, and keep things under control."
March 1, Alpha Year 3
The grass was covered by hoarfrost as John and Mark made their way across the compound toward the darkened office complex. It was nearly 3 AM, and the colony was silent and, except for the security lights, the area and all the buildings dark. Walking mostly in the shadows to avoid observation by roving security personnel John and Mark reached the complex, and using John's key, entered.
John was tense. For the first time he was being allowed to meet the leader of the Johnsonites. John's imagination had pictured a number of different people who might be that leader, but none had seemed likely. Now Mark Cohn had said the leader wanted to meet with him for discussions on the Torgai situation. Finally, John thought, his cultivation of Mark was bearing fruit. Mark led John down the dimly lit hall, opened the door to a small conference room, and stepped aside to allow him to enter, leaving John in the room with its single other occupant. At first John couldn't make out the identity of the other occupant, who was facing a computer screen. But as the figure turned and looked at John he recognized the person; Margo Kladstrup.
John stopped short and stared at Margo, his surprise evident. Margo watched him coolly from behind her old fashioned, metal rimmed glasses, motioning for him to sit. Typical, thought John, with eye correction surgery now common to continue to use obsolete eyeglasses. Strong minded and doesn't care what others think.
After several moments, Margo broke the silence, "it's now time to do something, John, and you appear to be a kindred spirit."
John returned the cool look, and responded, "kindred, maybe. But your support on the board hasn't been that evident."
"Well," Margo responded, "you know where I stand on most things. And you certainly know the position of the Johnsonites; the board has covered that pretty thoroughly. But you're a fool and rash. There's a time for action and a time to sit quietly with your own plans. Patience, John, patience. Pushing Colin, up to now, was counterproductive."
"I take it," John responded with a show of anger, "now it's no longer counterproductive? Even for fools like me?"
"Now, now, John," Margo responded laughing, "don't let your ego get in the way of your goals. What I meant was that up to now we lacked the volatile issue to get the colonists on our side. Now that's changed, or can be made to change."
"The killing of Buchan and his team," John commented, "yes, that certainly changes things."
Margo nodded, "yes, the killing of the team. That's caused a lot of anger and that anger can be directed. It’s an opportunity that may not come again, and in spite of the risk we can’t let it pass. But even that isn't enough; we need another spark. Now, finally, we have enough information to allow us to force the issue, which we didn't have before. And we have the resources in place to act. But more than that, with Buchan dead I can stop appointment of a new board member and keep the board deadlocked. With your vote, mine, Carlton's, and Rolf's, the board is deadlocked at four to four.."
"You can guarantee both Carlton and Rolf?" John asked, surprised.
Margo smiled in satisfaction, "yes. Rolf's support will come as quite a surprise to Colin and the others.".
"Is he a Johnsonite?" John asked.
Margo looked coldly at John, "not really your business; you now know that Mark and I are Johnsonites, that's all you need to know for now. True, Colin can act by edict if he chooses in case of a tie vote, which will alienate a lot more of the colonists; and that makes you more valuable to us. As vice chairman you take over if anything happens to Colin."
John thought for a moment, and said, "is something going to happen to Colin?"
Margo shrugged, "who can say. This world is a dangerous place."
"Can you really guarantee Rolf's and Carlton's votes?" John asked.
Margo smiled, "yes. I can guarantee them both. What it boils down to is that both you and I want the Torgai issue settled permanently, and a change in the policy of the colony. We can't tolerate being here at the sufferance of and under constant threat by an inferior race like the Torgai. We still don't have the votes to force the issue at the council, but we can now hamstring any council action. And we now have the ability to force a Torgai confrontation that will make the council act whether they want to or not. And that is what I propose to do."
John was silent for a moment, "and how do you propose to do that?"
Margo leaned forward, "attack the main Torgai village in the highlands, the one led by the Torgai, Suth. He represents their militant element, and will respond, forcing a fight."
John laughed, "and exactly how do you expect to make such an attack? The village is over 1,500 kilometers northeast of here, and any armed group we send would be stopped by Colin. Plus, even if they could get there, it leaves the problem of how they get back. They certainly couldn't wipe out the entire village and would be sitting ducks."
"No," Margo responded, "we can't send a large group, and anything except a large group would be tracked down and killed by the Torgai. But two or three dedicated people are all that are necessary with the weapons we have; and my people are dedicated. They will accept it as a suicide mission. The goal isn't to destroy the village, but to goad them."
John thought for a moment, "how do they get there? They would have to take the winter route through the exposed valley instead of the mountain pass, with little chance of being undetected. They would be spotted either by the scoutplanes or t
he Torgai far before they got far".
Margo smiled coldly, "that can be taken care of. My people include a scoutplane pilot, and with one passenger enough damage can be done. I know, the scoutplane range isn't enough for a round trip, but with an auxiliary tank it is enough for one way; and that's where you come in. You can release both extra fuel and the scoutplane without it being questioned. We can provide a supply of poison gas canisters as well."
"Poison gas canisters?" John asked, surprised. "Where did you get them?"
"I have my resources," Margo responded.
John looked at Margo, then said quietly, "apparently you do. But what's in it for me?"
Margo was silent for several seconds, "you're useful to us. And we're useful to you. Once we control the colony you get what you want; replacing Colin and implementing your policies. I'm not interested in governing. I would hope you would choose to join our organization, but I don't require it. But," Margo said slowly, "we will stand behind your future government and you can run things pretty much as you want as long as you don't cross me."
John sat in thought, "who's leading the mission?"
Margo laughed, "Mark will. That shouldn't make you unhappy should it?"
Seeing John's startled expression, she added, "do you really think I don't know what's going on?"
"Does Mark know?" John asked.
Margo shrugged, "possibly. It's not important. He knows his job has been to cultivate you. Did you think it was only the other way around?"
Leaning forward and pinning John with her eyes, "I've planned for years for this. This is the opportunity to mold the colony to the teachings of our founders, and nothing will stand in my way. Getting assigned to the expedition, and getting my followers assigned, took years of effort and planning. I won't allow anything or anyone to stand in the way."
Neither said anything for some time, then Margo asked, "well, do we cooperate on this? Do we have an understanding?"
John slowly nodded acknowledgment, "we have a deal." Looking at Margo for a moment before adding, smiling, "I have a feeling that if I didn't agree my future might be quite limited."
Margo smiled back, without comment.
"What do you need from me? When does Mark start?" John asked.
"Mark will brief you on his exact needs and when," Margo said, "but primarily we need you to authorize the fuel and the scout plane flights. But, as for when, while that depends on how soon we can get the poison gas ready, I'd like to have it done no later than the middle of the month. If we move carefully Colin and the others will think its a normal surveillance flight, and even if it doesn't return they can only assume the plane was lost. They'll send out search teams, but they won't know for sure what happened until the Torgai respond."
John looked at his hands, "I can authorize the flight and the release of the fuel without any problem. But if the Torgai attack in force are you sure we can stop them? We'll have to improve our readiness so we're not overrun."
Margo smiled, "true. But that shouldn't be a problem; all we need is some incident as an incentive. With the makeup of the council, and with the colonists stirred up, that should be simple. I'll take care of seeing to an appropriate 'incident'."
"And if they take us by surprise?" John asked.
"They won't," Margo responded. "We'll have to see that both plane and ground patrols are beefed up and perimeter defense supplemented to provide the warning we need for a direct attack. Besides," she added, "my people will be on alert, and combined with the security forces we have all the firepower we'll need. That assumes we can get firearms released for 'round the clock' use by the security forces and for some to 'reliable' colonists as well. Right now security warehouses their weapons when not on duty, which is unacceptable."
John was silent, then, "I wish I was as confident of that as you are. There could be several hundred Torgai involved, or possibly several thousand if Eric's estimates are correct. That takes more than a few people with laser rifles to stop."
“John, John,” Margo chuckled, “we’re dealing with savages here; not military strategists. It's unlikely they could approach in any great number without being discovered. Besides, we're separated from the Torgai villages by hundreds of kilometers of savanna, and with the scout planes to patrol we can spot any large groups. Small groups, maybe not, but we can easily handle them. But, they must be allowed to do a fair amount of damage when they attack, such as taking a few lives, or the peace element might still keep the elimination of the Torgai from happening."
John got up to go, "I certainly hope you're right. I'll get with Mark to work out the details. By the way, is Alicia a member of the Johnsonites? Does she know anything about this?"
Margo shook her head, "no. She doesn't know, and she isn't a member. So,“ she laughed, "when Mark is dead you can be your usual consoling self. And now I suggest we leave separately so we aren't seen together. And we should continue to act as before; no change that might warn Colin or his supporters. You may or may not be aware, but you’ve been under surveillance by security for some time. So act and move carefully."
And . . . .
Rath moved silently across the compound, moving like a shadow in the predawn darkness. Stopping to sniff the air for any sign of guards, he melted into the shadow of the building, unmoving. The distinctive odor of the guard patrolling the perimeter about 50 meters to the east was heavy in his nostrils.
Every night for the last two weeks, ever since he had received word from one of the new Torgai of the human attack on Hath's village, Rath had explored the colony grounds, locating each sentry position, testing various routes into and out of the grounds, and carefully noting which doors were locked, the location of any objects which created cover, and anything else that might be useful in the future. Today Rath had met with Suth's courier beyond the colony perimeter to pass on what he had discovered. From now on, once each week, Rath would meet with a courier, and in addition, if anything important happened between the scheduled meetings signals had been arranged with the Torgai hidden beyond the perimeter. With the relay of runners Suth had established between the colony and his village information he provided would be in Suth's hands in slightly over a week.
Tonight was the big test of Rath's hunter's ingenuity, the marking of the path through the electronic sensing devices located around the perimeter. Activated only at night, he had located the path on he eastern side by following the scent of human passage; tonight he would mark it with urine, creating a path the Torgai could follow in the dark at a fast trot. To Torgai it made a well marked road undetectable by the humans poor sense of smell. All that was required was a distraction at the guard post when needed; 20 seconds would be enough, after which he could stay outside the perimeter and return normally during the day.
The path through the perimeter would be easily detectable for weeks unless it rained; then of course Rath would have to repeat the process.
Rath was proud to have been selected for his assignment. While he didn't know what Suth planned it was clear that the information he was providing was key to those plans. Suth himself had met with him before he had returned to his village and together they had worked out the details of how Rath's operation would work, what to look for, and how to communicate the information back to the couriers beyond the barriers. Now, with news of the events at Hath's village, the operation was stepping up.
CHAPTER 22: Ultimate Provocation
(March 15, Year 3): Janice Bentley banked the plane as she turned up the valley. Beside her Mark Cohn checked the map that rested on his lap, deep in concentration, noting landmarks and marking the map to reflect his latest assessment of their location. If only the colony had access to satellites for GPS readings the task would have been much simpler.
Glancing over, Janice could see the bright red mark on the map which noted their destination, and the red line Mark kept extending as their position approached the village.
With the well-scrubbed, rather plain mid-American look, Janice had the a
ppearance of a young college girl instead of the experienced scoutplane pilot she really was. In her early thirties, she could easily have passed for 10 years younger. Only months before she and her long time companion, Jeff Hanson, had obtained the leader's permission to formalize their relationship by being married, and up until this assignment Janice had looked forward to starting a family. Now both sadness and excitement were mixed in Janice's emotions. Sadness that her planned life with Jeff was at an end, but excitement mixed with happiness that she had been selected by the leader to serve the cause.
Jeff hadn't been informed of her mission; the leader had said Jeff's skills were needed for other purposes and he could better serve by remaining at New Athens. Perhaps, Janice thought, as an officer in the security force he was too valuable to lose. But it would have been glorious if they had been able to perform the mission together.
Janice gradually nosed the plane upward to level off at about 100 meters above ground level, the mountain range looming to the west protecting them from any possibility of observation. Not that being seen was much of a concern, since even if sighted they could still perform their mission. Now it would be only a short time before they reached the village and Janice felt all her senses were heightened. The colors looked brighter, the air smelled sweeter, and her mind absorbed all she saw and sensed. She would enjoy the world in the little time she had; she felt so exhilarated she couldn't keep from humming to herself.
Below, the floor of the valley undulated with small ridges and depressions, bisected by the river carrying snowmelt from the higher elevations. Shadows from the mountain range to the west lengthened, starting to creep across the valley floor. Well before sunset back at the colony the valley floor would be fully shaded.
Within half an hour, just as the sun would begin setting on the eastern portion of the valley, they should reach their destination, Suth's village. Poking Mark's shoulder to get his attention above the deep throated whine of the engine, Janice pointed to the coffee thermos, indicating she would like a cup. Smiling to herself she thought, a last cup to celebrate the occasion.
The First Colony: Book I: Settlement Chronicals Page 24