by Tom Tryst
“You may be right, but that’s all the more reason to survive,” Victor counters, tired of the same old arguments coming up. “You know we are improving the weaponry that brought down one of their ships. We just need more of them to have a global defense. Unfortunately, that program has lost some priority.”
“They’ll just have another surprise for us. They probably don’t think any more of us than so much cattle.”
“We have to try!” Victor is getting a little annoyed by Charles pessimism. “If I’m going to die, I want to take some of them with me.”
“What? Some soleless machines? We’ll probably never even get a chance to see one of the aliens, much less get revenge.”
“No, their ships! That’s where the aliens would be. Perhaps even members of the Universal Council. The real enemy!”
“They won’t get within firing range.”
“Wrong!” Victor heatedly counters. “We can detect them coming days away and can intercept. Destroy them in space! Our ground weapons can destroy them before they are even in sight. Hopefully, before they launch the transport ships filled with their Peace Keepers. If not, the original phasers can pick them off in the atmosphere. Any who make it through will be dealt with by ground forces.”
“Guys! Guys! Let’s cool it!” Daniel interjects. “The military has their project; we have ours. Ours is to survive to live to see any eventual victory. Our current threat is the outside world.”
Both take deep breaths and simply nod.
“What is important,” Daniel adds, “Is that we do not panic the citizenry. I don’t want to hear gloom and doom from either of you.” He is looking at Charles.
“I’m with you all the way, Boss,” Charles responds with a wry smile. “I don’t have to like it.”
“None of us do,” Victor reminds him.
Look,” Daniel intercedes, “we now know we are not alone in the universe, According to the Universal Council, there are many other civilizations. A recent paper from the World Astronomers Association cites that they put the number of galaxies in the universe as ten to the nineteenth power. That’s ten followed by nineteen zeros. And each galaxy has billions of stars. They believe that one in six of these stars could have an earth sized planet, having the right gravity for human life. There are many other variables for being inhabitable - temperature, atmosphere, water. But out of those 1.6 quadrillion earth-sized planets in the universe, the odds are that there would be many suitable planets.”
“Interesting,” comments Victor, “but what does that have to do with our problem here on earth?”
“My point is, many of those planets could be members of the Universal Council, and by their own standards, are far more advanced than we are. We could be starting a war with the rest of the universe; a war we could not possibly win.”
“We have to protect ourselves,” Victor insists.
“We don’t even know if they’re going to return! They told us we were on our own! Why are we spending precious resources on a global defense that, if initiated, could bring sudden annihilation to the earth? Christ Almighty, the path we’re following, back to the old ways of polluting . . . we are going to destroy ourselves. If I was on the Universal Council, I would vote to let earth destroy itself, and then take anything of value.” Daniel takes a deep breath, holding up his hand to cut off further discussion. “Let’s not get distracted from our present threat; hoards of hungry people threatening to overrun the Compound. Anyway, we can’t control what the world powers are planning. The way things were going, we were seriously unprepared to rebel in the first place. We paid too much attention to those seeking government positions, men and women still driven by ambition, wanting to be part of the new privileged and elite class. The greedy ones. They were the ones putting dissatisfaction of the communal system into the minds of the people. The people were doing just fine and would probably have adjusted. The collection of and distribution of the world’s goods was handled well by the aliens; we’re making a mess of it since we took over. Now . . . now we just have to make the best of it. And coordinate with Victor.”
“Well, I’ve been putting it off,” Victor responds, “but I guess the time has come to make it official. I’m making it official. We are under orders. As of 0900 hours this morning, The Compound was placed under total martial law. Mayor Davies, until further notice, your government is now under my command.”
There is a long, stunned silence at this sudden revelation. With a dismissive wave of his hand, Victor continues. “Sherry, that’s the official word. For all practical purposes, I don’t see the necessity for much to change. The military has always been in control; Good Lord! this has always been a military facility! Let’s just keep working together as we have. We will strengthen the security of The Compound through a cooperative effort so that Daniel and his team can continue their work - the only reason we’re still here.” He paused and looked around, taking time to look into the eyes of everyone present, then continues. “Can we agree on that?”
By no one disagreeing, he assumes all are on board.
To their surprise, Debby doesn’t want to see Eddie. In fact, she refuses the opportunity to visit him.
When pressed, she angrily responds, “Mom, he dumped me. One day he says he loves me and wants to marry me, the next he says we’re over. I should never have given in to him! The asshole got what he wanted and I guess I wasn’t good enough for him! He can go to hell!”
“When did he break up with you?” her Mom gently asks, surprised at her daughter’s language.
“About the time Dad was communicating with Daniel for us to relocate here,”
She stares into her daughter’s eyes, holding her by her shoulders so she can’t turn away. “Don’t you think that might have had something to do with it?”
“What do you mean?” Debby asks, calming down.
“Honey, he couldn’t go with us and he didn’t want to be the cause of you staying behind and not having a safe haven. Perhaps his decision was not because he didn’t love you, but because he unselfishly wanted what was best for you. Right now, he’s in trouble for what he did to get here - to see you.”
“He should have told me,” she mutters, avoiding looking into her mother’s eyes.
“He was probably afraid you would choose to stay with him - and an uncertain future. You know things were getting tough. He wanted what was best for you - not him. Victor interrogated him, and you’re the reason he’s here.”
“How do I know he’s not just trying to use me to find safe haven? Besides, I’m seeing one of the soldiers. I like him a lot. Not as much as I loved Eddie, but it could get serious.”
“Baby,” her Mom gently urges, “you may later regret that you didn’t. By seeing him, you can see if there’s any feeling left between you.”
“Anyway, he can’t stay. He’ll probably go to jail.”
“Uncle Daniel says he might be allowed to stay regardless of whether or not you two get back together - by enlisting in the Army.”
“Does Eddie know that?” she demands.
“Yes,” Janet lies.
She hotly declares, “He’s just trying to use me to make sure!”
“Only one way you can find out.”
Debby just shakes her head, her posture slumping. Janet rises, standing quietly in front of her.
“Well, he’ll be here until tomorrow afternoon, when he will be transferred to Lackland Army Air Corps Base in San Antonio. Let us know if you change your mind.”
Gathering at the dining hall at the end of shift, Sherry has been reluctant to express her own feelings; feelings which were not entirely in line with her husband’s, but she speaks up now.
“You’re right,” she concedes, “We have to focus on the here and now. If we can’t keep the compound secure, we’re doomed. We know we can be self-sufficient for many years, but only if we keep the world out. I know the women will be willing to play a role, but I don’t want to see mothers put at risk.”
“Tha
nk you, Baby,” Daniel responds, pleased that she is on board. “Security is job one. And we’ll assign women support duties, out of harms way. But if we want the government to continue to support us, we have to demonstrate that the work we are doing is important. But we can slow down. We could cut our working hours in half and still feed them information. So, depending on need and ability, I’m going to ask half of the team to work with the Army on perimeter security, specifically on the lookouts. Anybody else who wants to volunteer their time off . . . well, that’s commendable. Victor and I will work on that selection.”
“Keep in mind,” Victor adds, “that the lookouts, or spotters, won’t be involved in repelling intruders. They will be well hidden from view. Their job is merely to observe and report. I doubt if we’ll even have enough phasers to arm them. They’ll be instructed to keep responding troops advised of the conditions and positions; them firing at intruders would only reveal their positions. We don’t want that. But first, we’ll need more able-bodied workers to finish clearing a no-man zone, free of vegetation that could conceal a man. Then there will be the building of the lookouts, at least twenty-four of them. My men will coordinate both activities, something they have had training in.”
“So think about it,” Daniel continues, now addressing all present, “If you - or any of your people - want a change of pace, let me know. If I can spare you, you’ll be reassigned. Temporarily. We don’t know how long we’ll have to keep it up. We’ll rotate assignments when we can. I know long vigils with nothing to do can be boring.”
“That brings up getting sleepy,” Victor points out. “You must stay awake and alert at all times. There are proven medications that will ward off sleepiness. There are also procedures that are effective. All will be trained. Plus we’ll have a radio check-in at least every fifteen minutes. By military procedure, falling asleep on duty is a court martial offense. Each volunteer will be tested for his or her ability.”
It is now Charles who speaks up. “I see you two have been working on this for some time. Can I assume you have all the bugs worked out?”
Victor looks at Daniel, then chuckles. “The army has been manning forward outposts for centuries. Yes, we have it down to a science.”
“Any questions?” Daniel asks. There were only a few. As they return their attention to their meals, he reminds them to get names of those who wish to volunteer to submit their requests. There would also be a bulletin on the message board.
Without discussing it further, they finish eating, bus their trays and head for The Tavern for some serious drinking.
Late that evening, with a mild buzz from drinking, for he is officially off duty, Victor heads toward Camp and the brig. He unofficially wants to talk to Eddie Campbell. Both he and Daniel will have to agree to admit the young man as a new citizen; they’ll also have to agree on his duties. He could easily get him drafted and pull strings to assign him to his detail. Or Daniel could convince his bosses that he would be a valuable addition to his program.
He has another concern: he knows that Debby is seeing one of his corporals. He doesn’t want to be a part of sabotaging their romance. He feels some loyalty to his men. If he can manage it, he will move the prisoner out before Debby changes her mind. Eddie gone - problem solved.
The detention area, located in the Military Police building, is far from a jail. It has a joint use: as an interrogation facility and as a holding facility, mostly when a soldier comes back to Base intoxicated and belligerent. He could sleep it off in one of the three cells, metal-lined rooms without bars. The next morning he would be reprimanded and returned to duty, usually without further adjudication. Rarely was there need to incarcerate one of the civilian citizens of Glen Haven.
Tonight, Eddie Campbell is the only prisoner, now held on a single charge of unauthorized use of government property, the vehicle assigned to his family.
The young man must have heard Victor and the jailer talking as they stop at the door to his cell, for when Victor looks in through the small window in the door, he is laying on his back on the single bunk, head raised, looking back.
The jailer, another soldier assigned that duty, unlocks the door and opens it. Victor steps in, turning back to the jailer, telling him to leave it open. Eddie immediately sits up, feet on the floor. He is still clothed in the civilian attire he wore when apprehended, rather than the normal prisoner coveralls.
Victor speaks to the prisoner. “I know it’s late, Mr. Campbell,” he says, keeping a formal approach, at least for now, “but there are a few things I need to know in determining what to do with you. Your scheduled to be transferred to Lackland tomorrow.” He looks at his watch. It’s after midnight, so he corrects, “This afternoon. I know you did those foolish things in the name of love, but what makes you think Debby wants anything to do with you?”
“Have you talked to her?” he blurts out, immediately excited. “Does she know I’m here? Can I see her?”
“Whoa, Partner!” Victor intercedes, not answering any of the questions. “First answer my question: what makes you think she wants anything to do with you?”
“Because we were in love! We were going to get married. Then all of the sudden the family is moved here!”
Victor just nods, “She’s an adult. She didn’t have to go with the rest. She could have stayed with you.”
Eddie puts his face in his hands, as if he is going to cry, but his voice, if plaintiff, is clear as he responds, “That’s just it! I knew she would! But things were getting pretty bad in Kentland. We were having problems getting feed for the cows. The same for food. The farmers were starting to hold back, demanding some compensation for their labor. None of them are happy with this communal sharing thing. It would be better for her to leave to be with her uncle. So I broke up with her - the hardest thing I’ve ever done!”
“So it wasn’t because you didn’t love her?”
“No! It was to give her a better chance of survival! I thought, with time, I would get over her, but I haven’t. Missing her made my love even stronger.”
Victor just stares at him for a while, seeing a man wracked with misery. “She knows you’re here. She could have visited you. She chose not to. You did tell her you didn’t love her any more.”
“I had to, or she might have stayed. It would have broken my heart to see her suffering as things got worse.”
“Uh huh,” Victor responds. “So you came here hopping we would let you in, too. So you could be safe, too.”
Eddie just shook his head. “No, I came to let her know I still love her and want her to be my wife. I made other plans for us to be together and secure.”
“And that is . . .?”
“I’ve enlisted in the Army. I’m to report to Chicago on the 14th. If she still loves me - and will wait for me - we can get married when I get my first permanent assignment.”
This takes Victor by surprise. He assumed the man was just trying to get into the Compound, using the girl as a means. He would verify the enlistment status, but this could change things. Still, Debby should have the final say, but should she have this new information? And maybe this guy is sharper then he seems, and realizes he can get into Glen Haven by marrying a citizen, something not known by many. She might not be able to make a logical decision.
“You know, if criminal charges are made, that could make you ineligible for enlistment. We don’t want criminals.”
“I was getting desperate! I needed to see her and let her know how I felt. What I had planned! There’s no public transportation. I’d never make it hitchhiking; I’d get picked up before I got out of Indiana.”
“So you hope to marry her so you so you can stay.” Victor still hopes to catch him in a lie.
But Eddie just shakes his head. “No, no, no. Even before we broke up, when they were first talking about the move, her Dad made it very clear to me that he opposed our getting married, and he wouldn’t let me join them. He felt she was too young for marriage.”
Another thing t
o check out. David knew him better; perhaps he really didn’t want them to marry. Victor is getting weary; it has been a long day, and a new one is almost starting. The drinking hasn’t helped. He needs some sleep. He will make some inquiries in the morning, after a little sleep and breakfast.
“Well, she can still visit in the morning - if she wants. We have to leave that up to her.” As he is leaving the room, he pauses and turns. “I’ll check on your enlistment status. See if they still want you. They may not press charges. Get some rest.”
The clanking of the steel door closing and the turn of the key seems unusually loud in the dim silence of the hallway. He is starting to feel some compassion for the young man, but he is still determined to get him transferred out early that afternoon. He should talk to David, her father, to see what his feelings are, but isn’t sure that he will.
Daniel is waiting in Victor’s office when he arrives, fifteen minutes later than his regular routine. He speaks up even before Victor settles in.
“I just talked to Eddie Campbell,” Daniel informs him. “He told me everything he told you. When were you going to tell me?” He was obviously upset.
“At ease, Partner! That was late last night, after our night out. I just got up and about.”
“I have a very personal concern here! She is my brother’s daughter, my niece. I’m her uncle!”
“That’s the way it works. Now just calm down. I’m keeping you in the loop. So the question now, is where do we go from here? For one thing, is it true that David is against her getting married?”
Daniel takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. Then again, calming himself. “That’s the feeling I get. For that matter, he thinks she’s still too young to be thinking about marriage.”
“She’s almost twenty.”
“You know how fathers are. She’ll always be his little girl.”