I was sitting chewing slowly and glorying in something fresh that was not chicken when a voice came over my shoulder, “How’s it going Kurt?”

I turned to look at Ash, “Food wise not too bad but, I think the project is riding on the conversation going on between Walt and Travis. I need those verniers, Pots as Walt calls them. We need that technology on hand but I just do not understand your obsession with this deal.”

Ash sat and took a pull on his drink, “You have to be one of us to understand. You have heard Andy call me Cousin, Scots-Irish don’t play the Niece and Nephew game. Anything not Brother or Sister is a Cousin. You are all part of the Clan after all. Andy is my Mother’s older Brother!”

I stammered, “But, your Mom died of old age in UNWG health care. How can that big SOB be her older brother?”

“You have to go all the way back to the 1600’s. A Scottish mercenary wound up down in the Swiss Alps and got married. They had seven kids, feisty weren’t they? Anyway, duty eventually called and the Male had to go back to Scotland. The kids split between the parents because they all knew that would get back together. Well, shit happened, couple of war’s as I have been able to piece it together. The male line went with Daddy and the Female’s stayed with Mom, normal. The oldest Male became the ultimate Godfather of Clan Stuart . The Oldest Daughter became the Matriarch of Family Kearns. Kurt, the UNWG did not try to sterilize her to provide a cover story. I made that up! They did her to make sure those two lines could never meet. Care to guess on what their first born is gonna be. You think Andy scares your Ass?”

I sat stunned for a moment, “Do I want to help that happen?”

Ash looked me in the eyes, ”Do you want your Kids to live free?”

Day 7  Midnight

As night enveloped us under a starry sky, I said to Jules, “The barbeque was lots of fun.  Hard work, but many willing hands. And finally I got to see the colonists all at once. I don’t know everyone’s name yet, but recognize most of them. Some real characters in our midst!”

“Hanna, I’ve always admired your ability to take everything in stride, regardless of how unusual. Your basting sauce was perfect with the slizzard, as if you’d made it for years. And just like the loaves and fishes, the food seemed to multiply. But now that the day is almost over, I realize it was Sunday. And I miss not going to church.”

“Me too.” Back at our tent, we got out the Bible, and read for a bit together. Then I said, “How are you feeling, dear? It’s been a very hectic day, especially with all the politicking, etc.” 

“Not too bad. But before you or Linda have a chance to nag, I promise to go to the lab first thing tomorrow. I won’t like it, but I don’t stand a chance against the two of you.”

“Why Jules, what a good idea that is.  So glad you thought of it.”

Day 7  Midnight 

     “Wasn’t that a fine meal to end a fine day?” I said to Judith after the celebration was over and we were back in our tent preparing for bed.

     “It certainly was dear.” Judith replied in a tone of voice indicating complete satisfaction. And then I saw a hint of concern, “You left for a little while just after dessert, were you talking to Buchanan?”

     “Yes I was, and a strange conversation indeed. Let me tell you how it went…”

     “Congratulations Mr. Moderator,” were the first words from Burt’s mouth as we met after the vote. “It seems you have a popular mandate.”

     “Well ah yes, it would seem so. And I owe you for it and I know that.. But what exactly are you expecting other than thanks from me? I know it can’t be altruism on your part but for the life of me I can’t seem to think of anything beyond my thanks you can get out of it. And another thing I’m wondering now is since Jack lost what happens with him?”

     “Lester, you now have a small measure of authority here, and we both how important that is to you. And all I expect from you is that you play your part to my script. As for Jack he is my problem so don’t even bother thinking about him. I have plans and he will come in handy. Oh and one more thing… You give me a job.”

     I was more than taken aback by that last statement and said, “I can’t do that… The Council has no authority right now to do something like that. I don’t know… maybe later..” my voice trailed off.

     “Lester, Lester, Lester,” Burt intoned, “You are missing the point once again. I am more aware than you are of the limits of the present governmental structure and what directions it is likely to go in. What I said was ‘You’ give me a job. There are only a few colonists with direct farming experience and you, fortunately, are one of them. Being a politician at the present time won’t earn a living; so it’s back to the land you go.”

     “After you’ve studied the maps and chosen a site it will be a trivial mater for your land grant to be processed. Once it does you will need help to clear it and make it work. I can take the easy route of directing the robots doing the actual work and you can pad my hours so I build up a bank account and become a model citizen. And you don’t need to worry I will actually give you some time, just not as much as you credit me for. And that Lester… is all I ask.”

     I couldn’t even read his expression when he was done but said. “Ok I think I can do that, but do you have any farming experience at all?”

     “Not a lick Lester, but then that’s no problem because you do.”

     “Well that was it my dear, and I can’t tell what his game is… but for that much… and I feared far worse, I think we can play along.”

     “If you say so.” and then Judith added. “Mike isn’t back yet should we message him? He‘s too young for hours like this.”

     “Let him stay out, an event like this is once in a lifetime thing. There are enough people watching so he should be fine. I’ll just tell R.Hadrian to wake us if he’s not back in another hour… Done. Night dear.”

     “Night.”

Joint Post by Andrew Stuart and Capt. Travis

Thanks to the effort of the younger set, we were ready.  I saw Histy and Travis having their conversation as I came out of the tent with the ice and glasses.  I waved the Bottle of booze I knew Travis recognized and nodded towards one of the outside tables.

Travis said, “I think I need one of those!”

I handed him the bottle, “Have at and it’s come time for the Million Dollar Question.  Do you have any idea why I trust you so much?”

“Well now,” Travis said and then paused for a moment, “I suspect we’ve both spent a lot of time in space and understand that the chief requirement there is trust in your fellow crew mates.  Close?”

“That’s a part of it Travis; That and I know how much the UNWG hate’s and fears you.  You see once upon a midnight dreary they tried to send the best they thought they were going to have to “Find and Eliminate” one Glen Travis, blockade-runner.  The idiots thought they were going to send ME!”  I carefully pulled out the other bottle and poured myself a drink.  “Care to have a short discussion about our mutual ex-friends?”

“Our friends…” Travis drawled and took a pull from his drink.  “I know they hated me, but I’m flattered to think they might also have feared me.  I didn’t think they feared anyone.  I remember one run I was making, my little Rust Bucket – that was the name, and apt description of my ship by the way, the Rust Bucket – filled to the proverbial rafters with antibiotics, insulin, and other medicines, and there was this one blockade cruiser that I just couldn’t shake for the longest time.  It had begun pursuing me the moment I left the cover of the asteroid belt.”

Travis held out his glass and Andy refilled it for him.

“Thanks,” Travis continued, “I wound up heading back into the belt and we spent three days playing cat-and-mouse with their captain cursing at me the whole time on the hail frequencies.  I finally lost him but it was probably only because of a particularly violent solar flare knocking all radar and other instruments out.  He didn’t know the rocks the way I did.  I barely made it to Mars with only fumes left in the He3 tank.”

“Galloping Ghost of the Belt is what the Black Suits called you.”

Andy laughed and continued, “Those jerks fear anything they can not control.  That’s why they wanted us to go get you.  We were flying the last of the U. S. built Hunter/Killer ships.  The one’s Bryce Harrison blew up rather than turn over to the UNWG.  When Col. Kearns and I resigned, every damn Operator Team in SOCOM followed us.  Ash wanted to take a HUK out and help you!”

I just leaned back and waited a long pause.  “Glen, the political pressures back there are such that they have to make a military strike at us in between three to four E-years or they are going to look like fools!  Two questions for you.  Do you think that they can pull off a Company sized strike in that time frame and the bigger question; can Space Command Alchibah be ready to meet it?”

Travis looked around to be sure that nobody was lingering nearby the table, listening in on their conversation.  Satisfied that there wasn’t, he leaned forward in his chair, putting his elbows on the table as he got closer to Andrew.  In a softer voice he said, “I trust you, Andy.  I also trust Mariana.  What I’m about to tell you must go no farther than the two of you.  Please don’t even tell Ash—“

Andrew started to protest but Travis put up a hand and waved that away, saying, “I know, I know, you would swear by him but I’m a cautious person and he joined our party while under the employ of the UNWG. I’m sure that in time I’ll consider him 100 percent but for now. . . . One thing I’m reasonably sure of is that if the Goonies were able to plant one operative, Van Vogt, among us, they were probably able to plant at least one other.  Don’t have a clue as to who that is but we have to assume that someone is a mole of some sort.”

Andrew gave a shrugging nod of acquiescence and Travis continued, “When we launched from the Titan Docks and after you all were in cryo, we continued, passively, to monitor the solarnet and other broadcasts.  The Goonies reported us as having been destroyed so as far as most people on Earth are concerned, we no longer exist.  So, it’s not for looking like fools that they will come after us, but – and Histy and I were discussing this earlier today – but ego or something else.  There’s something here, either in this system or on this planet that they want and I don’t have a clue as to what it is but it was enough for them to try to stop us from leaving for here.”

He paused to refresh the ice and Bourbon in his drink and then said, “We also figured a 3-4 year timeline for them to build a proper ship or three, to come after us.  They’ve already launched!”

Andrew exclaimed, “What?”

Travis said, “I’m just saying it’s likely, not that I actually know.  Remember, for most of you it seems as if you started on this voyage only a few weeks ago but it’s now over four years later on Earth.”

“Right.”

“They’re still four years away from us.  Anyway, we have to assume that they will show up with a sizable force of one sort or another.  Now, to get to your second question:  I believe we will be ready.  We’ve taken to calling Hibbes ‘The Mad Scientist’ and he really is.  He’s cooking up several ideas.  One is a new, small but very fast and agile craft he’s calling the ‘X-Fighter’, partially as a tribute to us ‘ex-earthers’ and partly due to the design of it. It’s the size of a cruiser but has four engines instead of one.  Each engine is mounted on a separate ‘wing’ so to speak.  That’s part one.  The X-Fighter would be useless without some kick-ass weaponry and he’s percolating an idea for that as well, based on plasma physics, his actual specialty.  Chandler will be a big asset as well and will help move things along much faster.”

Andrew refilled his own drink and reflected for a moment.

“Now,” Travis said, “Now for the third part of the equation, and it’s the one that requires me to ask for your and Mariana’s secrecy in case there really is a mole of some sort around here.  I don’t know how much of my history you actually know although I assume the UNWG was pretty efficient in those regards.  I grew up on Mars and as you’ve noted, I was a runner of bootleg supplies between Stelco and the Mars Colony.  Medicines, food, water, all that.  Plus some other things you probably didn’t know about.  We were leaving the colonists with several unregistered passenger ferries, maybe half the size of the Galileo.  They were hidden in the mountains and laying in wait.”

Andrew said, “What was the purpose of them?”

Travis took another pull on his drink and said, “Evacuation!  When Hamilton built the Lancer, he also built two others like it but modified for interstellar travel.  With the extra fuel and supplies and cryo units, they only had space for 35 people apiece instead of the 60 plus of the Lancer but that was alright since as best we could tell, of the 200 people living and working in the Mars Colonies, there were only about 40 who were dedicated to the cause and willing to leave the comforts – such as they were – of the colony.  The two ships were equipped similarly to the Lancer, with both lasers and guns and increased shielding.  The ships are hidden in the asteroid belt and the ferries will take the Martians to them at the right time.”

“Which is?”

“You know who Al Steel is?” Travis asked.

“Of course, the leader of the ‘opposition’ in the Mars Colony.  The UNWG hated him.” Andrew replied.

“Right,” Travis said, “He’s an operative, so to speak, of Hamilton.  His instructions are to wait until the Goonies launch for us and then follow behind at a safe distance, maybe a couple weeks later, with the two Lancer style ships and whomever is ready to join us.  We’ll meet the Goonies with our own strategies but we’ll have two ace-in-the-holes coming up behind them.  It’s not perfect since the weapons on their ships are what they are but with them at the flanks…. Will it be enough?  I’m also preparing one of the lifeboats, guided by two specially programmed robots and maybe a prototype of whatever Hibbes comes up with by way of armaments.  It’ll sit dead in the water, so to speak, a smarter version of the sentinel we left when we exited the wormhole, to report in detail what they ‘see’ when the UNWG comes through.  Then, they’ll greet the Martians and be a third ace under our control.  And, I have other ideas but not fully formed as yet.  So, what do you think?”

Andy took along draw on his drink. “I think you are right.  As soon as we get some stuff cleared up down here, I’ll convince Ash to take a trip up to Mayflower to work with you!  He is the pilot we have with the most confirmed Space-to-Space kills.  Do not let him see anything you are worried about and do not let the mole see an absolute separation between the two communities.  If they go too deep, we will never catch them!  Glen, get the Space Force in shape and I will have the board and storm force ready!  Damn it, Clan Alchibah Shall Not Fall!”  I raised my glass in the classic Dining In Salute, “Are we agreed Sir?”

Travis raised his glass and said, “I trust that you know how important you and the ground forces are.  Not that you are limited to the planet.  I promise that within a few weeks you will have four kick-ass lifeboats-turned-fighters.  We are the outside shield but you and your –can I call them the ‘Marines’ – are the final zone of defense, certainly the most important and skilled.  My plans rely on nine nutty people (I include myself) and 25 plus robots.  You have only your brave compatriots.  You folks are the real fighters and the last resort.  God knows, Andy, I hope it all never comes to that but I will work with you, help you when I, we can.  But you are the last and most important defense against it all.”

Travis took another drink and then said, “Andy, I’ve told you some of my history now, and I suppose you know a great deal more.  Let me tell you one last thing.  I hate – and I don’t like to use the word ‘hate’ lightly – but my dad died in a mine explosion on Mars.  ‘Officially’, it was ruled an ‘accident’.  It wasn’t.  For as long as I live, the UNWG will be centered in my crosshairs.  I suspect you’re of like kind. I also think we will make a great team in fending off, defending, protecting our, well, us!  WE are the colonists and we will never surrender to the UNWG.”

“Glen,” Andy replied as he stood, “I intended to deliver 15 fully Badged, SOCOM Shooter/Spotter teams.  You find ‘em,  fix ‘em and we’ll take ‘em.  Damn do you smell something that isn’t chicken?”

Jaisa

Town meeting had just ended and the barbecue was well on its way. The spit was ready, compliments of John and Ryu, turning with a haunch of the mighty yet fallen slizzard over a good bed of embers. Everything had gone smoothly, from the pit being dug to a quick design for (and construction of) the spit to getting the slizzard and slabs and starting the fire. We’d be eating more than chicken tonight!

“Jai, where do you want the bots to put this next bit of slabs?” Emily asked.

“Over there,” I said, pointing to one side of the pit, “the wind’s blowing a little in the other direction. I doubt it’d happen, but the last thing we want is an ember landing on the pile and catching them on fire. And after that could you run back and grab the cobalt bowie from my tent? It’s one of the ones you cleaned – real wide, with a straight blade?” She nodded. “Liza, can you check with Hanna to see how the baste is coming? I’m no chef, but I think we’ll need it soon.”

“We’ve got the second piece up here – we rigged it up a few feet away,” that was Ryu. “As soon as this one’s done we’ll be able to start the next. I can’t wait to try it. It’ll probably taste like rubbery chicken, but it’s gonna be amazing to be actually eating something that no human ever has before, no matter what it tastes like.”

All in all I’d say the barbecue was a success. Everyone was doing their part and, more to the point (at least for now), the slizzard was coming along nicely. I only hope it tastes good.

Over by the big tent Andy and Travis were just standing up. Whatever we were cooking up was about to start!

Joint post by Andrew Stuart and Jai Benjamin

I had just finished my declination and the room was abuzz. I took that opportunity to wander over the table where the younger crowd was sitting.

“Jai, I wonder if you and the rest of the younger set would like to undertake a little mission?”

“A mission, huh? Sounds like my kind of shtick.”

“Mariana has declared the Slizzard as edible. What I would like you to do is organize a crew to dig a Texas Style BBQ pit and do up two quarters we cut off that sucker as a surprise for the Colony! I have a couple of other things but I’ll fill you in on the Wrist-Comp. Just like you will find all the instructions you will need in your e-mail stack. Are you a potential Team Leader or not?”

“Yes, I am.” For a split second she was deadly serious. Only that long though. “And a barbeque sounds incredible. I’m on it boss!”

I was pleasantly surprised, fewer questions than I had expected. “OK, Hype and get it done. If this works we lay the groundwork for the defense of Alchibah today!” She raised her eyebrow briefly, then met my gaze.

“Yeah, this crew will be up to it. And they’re certainly up to roasting a haunch o’ slizzard.” She scanned the email I sent her then turned to the other teens. “Alright people, we’ve got a slizzard to barbecue,” she whispered. “And keep it quiet, this is supposed to be as much of a surprise as we can make it. I’ll email you the instructions – check them on your writs comps. We’re going to have to leave the meeting early, but I’ll have my dad ping us when it’s voting time. John, you, Kaye and Mike go grab some shovels and a couple robots from the pool and start the pit, Em and Liza, get Red and R.Lewis and get some of the slabs over to the pit area for us to burn, Ryu…”

After the Vote    Day Seven 00:07:17:30

[Joint post by Bart, Janie, & Historian]

     We stayed after the nominating session and vote ended then shared a toast and a few words with the Parkers, Stuarts, Benjamin’s, Kara, and some of the others but I could tell Janie’s heart wasn’t in it. “Why not go back to the tent Janie? You’re hiding it from most but I can see you’re havin’ no fun at all. I should go and take over from Joe or Eugene so one of them can get back in and enjoy the festivities.

     “That’s a sounds like a very good idea Bart. But I’ll go with you so they both get a chance.”

     An hour or so later the Jeep signaled. I looked at my comp screen and saw the message “Man sized object moving towards you from the East.” The bots could send voice or text with equal ease. I can imagine a few instances where that could come in very handy.

     It turned out to be the Historian who emerged from the shadows into the lighted area where we were working. “Joe told me you were both out here and I figured I’d come out and finish up our earlier conversation from the point where we left off. But you don’t need to fill me in on the specifics of any of the other colonists…. I’m quite aware of their personalities and background. I’m also sure that this is more than a bitch session so go on with your proposal.”

     Janie began abruptly, “I’d like to leave the settlement. Oh that’s not exactly what I mean… I just think it would be best. Bart said that he wanted to leave with me. I know he really wants to stay… and I would tell him to stay, except… I’m just so sure leaving is right for both of us. And I was looking for a reason to change, but this afternoons session was the straw that broke this camels back. Look at all the rules proposed and all of the bickering. These are the kind of things we should have decided before we set foot on the planet. But I can understand why that wasn‘t possible… Still it just reinforces my conviction about getting away for a while. And just think, Jack the Blade goes down in history as the first person ever nominated for public office on the planet, and Les Reye gets the most votes for Council. It‘s just too much.”

     All the time Janie had been talking the Hist had been listening expressionlessly. He turned to me and said, “Bart?”

     “I don’t like it but I’m gonna stick with Janie on this. There surely is a lot of bickering. Somehow I felt we would almost all be small government types, but was I wrong! I see two ways Janie and I might work things out. The first is if I just ask Captain Travis for a spot on the Mayflower. I have little doubt I’ve proven myself to his satisfaction and as short handed as they are up there I think he would take us in a second. But what I really want to do is harder and will take some doing.”

     “I’d like, along with Janie and maybe a few others to do some exploring. My interest and training, that part I never got to use, was in Planetary Studies. Yeah I know most thought that it should have been named Earth Science for Dummies. But they didn’t take the courses and those that did learned differently. It included a fair amount of geology and climatology and a lot of other useful stuff. Even some botany geared to climate zones. We’ve got a whole world out here to work out the details, catalogue, and characterize. If I could get some support, maybe call it a sponsorship, from Travis and the folks downside. We could head north and eastward mapping and recording what we find. We can learn a lot from space observations and flyovers, but we can’t know the land until we walk it. We might even set up an outpost and live there for a time till things are settled here in Liberty and it looks like a place worth coming back to.”

     “And there’s one other thing. It wouldn’t have been ethical to vote on the Council members and then go running off to the Mayflower if I couldn’t get support for the expedition. So Janie and I just turned in blank ballots. But if we do stay with Liberty I am sure I’ll regret that. I’d be willing to do the trip on my own if we find the local life forms are ok to eat, and it does look that way now, but without support I won’t take Janie with me.“

     “Bart!… I’m no helpless Babe in the Woods.”

     “I know that Janie. But have you ever gone hunting? Or backpacking for more than a day at a time? Or even been camping anywhere else but a public campsite with water and restrooms?”

     She looked at me, expression glum, and shook her head. “Well that’s settled then. No support—- we go to the Mayflower.” I looked at the Historian and said, “What do you think? Will I get my support?”

     The Historian looked thoughtful for a moment and then said, “Bart, if it was up to me, you’d get your wish, whichever it is. But it isn’t up to me. Certainly we need to explore the planet and eventually, we will. Right now, though, we have a colony to set up. We’re still living in tents and carrying in river water in buckets! I don’t know for sure but I suspect that if you ask others around here they would say, could you wait a month till your lumbering services aren’t needed as much.”

     Further,” he said, looking at Janie, “Didn’t you tell me before lunch that you were ‘looking for a kind of Walden Pond with friends and modern conveniences, and a good job too.’ Not many modern conveniences out in the wild. At least here, you have support, refrigeration of food, and shortly, much more.”

     He paused a moment and then continued, “If you’d rather join the Mayflower crew, that is something you must take up with Travis. I need to remind you, especially you, Janie, that during lunch you also said that on Earth you always felt stifled, that you always felt you were being watched and that you didn’t want to put up with all the regimentation and petty rules. I have some news for you; on a starship, that’s all you have!”

     The Historian looked at his wristpad a moment and then said, “I know there are some questionable people here. I can’t speak for old R.J. but I imagine that not everyone could be fully ‘vetted’ as all of us had to leave Earth three months before we were supposed to. Then again, even in an organization such as an army or the police, where screening is rather intense, you still wind up with a few bad apples.”

     “Look, why not give it a few weeks, at least, before you bail out on us either into the wild or onto the Mayflower. If you still want to go, I’ll throw my support, for what it’s worth, behind you. By then, the colony should have some permanent shuttles — the reconditioned lifeboats — and might be able to spare the two of you one of them for some exploratory journeys. Think it over. If you two still want to leave now, I can’t and won’t stop you. This is a free planet. I hope and will work to keep it that way.”

     With that, he turned away and headed back towards Hanna’s.

     Janie didn’t say a word as the Historian walked away but the look on her face said it all. “Cheer up Babe, I think I’m almost as disappointed as you, but look at it from the Histy’s point of view. He’s newly elected to a job that he has to make work if the colony is going to survive and not fragment into a hundred little pieces right from the git go. He needs all the support he can muster and then some. I’d say give him the few weeks he asks for and then we go… but the decision is up to you.”

     “Oh Bart… I had my heart set on this.” I remained silent, just waiting.  Finally Janie added. “Ok we try it his way, but you give me a crash course in survival skills in the meantime.”

     “Consider it a promise.”

Connor

That little punk Buchanan. He certainly won this round, but damned if I was going to let any lasting damage come of it. The Council chair was in all likelihood going to be an essentially empty position title, but the fact that I let Buchanan game the very first election in the history of Alchibah was infuriating. But what’s done is done. Nothing to do but move on and deal with the consequences, and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Looks like the backroom politics have already started, and I’m about to throw myself into the middle of them. Buchanan has no idea what he just started.

We were walking down the stairs, out of the Community Center, and he turned to me and said, “So for now, we spacers have NO representation on the Town Council.”

I replied instantly to Captain Travis, “Of course you do!”

“Mphm”

I said, “I told you that things would work out.”

As we reached the landing, Travis took out his father’s silver cigarette case, withdrew one of our Mayflower Select and lit up. Other colonists filed past us, heading towards Hanna’s “Hash House” tent. Glenda had left the meeting early to lend a hand there. I took his case from him and helped myself to one of the hand-rolled cigarettes.

He said, “Well, I was hoping you’d be the Council Moderator.”

I said, “God no! This is the most difficult period of time for all of us. Everyone came here with a dream and while this planet looks splendid, there are dangers around every corner and the living ain’t easy.” I paused as I took a puff and then said, “It’s early and difficult days. Better that Reye should bear the brunt of complaints and dissatisfaction as his ego and inadequacy become apparent to all.”

“Mphm…”

“Look,” I said, “I have nothing against Les, per se, but he wants to rule the world in his own way. Or maybe, someone he’s connected with does. I’ve dealt with his type all my life. Nobody is going to control such a mixed, unruly crowd on this planet, this colony, for a long time to come. We’ll be too busy surviving for a while. I’m optimistic as always but things will be rough for many days–”

I stopped abruptly as Les Reye and his wife passed by us, as well as Buchanan and some of their friends.

When they were beyond earshot, I continued, “You now have the best of all worlds; you and the rest of your crew are on your own, totally independent from the capricious whims of the colonists. I, we are all depending on you to protect us from outside forces and Stuart seems like a perfect compliment here — planetside — for the ground forces. Reye wouldn’t have a fucking clue how to deal with a real problem if it were to  arise, and we both know that, based on what we knew when we left, within a couple years, it probably will, in the form of the god-damn goonies.”

Travis flicked his cigarette butt away and said, “I figure three and a half years, Earth time. One year Alchibah time. They had nothing capable of real interstellar travel — well, they did, but not anything of size that could transport any sizable compliment of troops. They’ll have to design it, finance it, build it, and then send it. My contacts, friends in the mining colony, were doing the same. I hope!”

“Exactly,” I said, “So we have time, you and Andy and Connor and the rest of us, to prepare. And we will. In the meantime, you and The Mad Doctor–”

“–You know,” Travis broke in, “Hibbes actually likes being called that, now.”

I chuckled and replied, “He’s a nut, but a really smart nut. Chandler will be a big help to him and all of us as well. Anyway, Reye hasn’t a clue of what we’ll soon be facing. We do. I suspect that Stuart does, too. In the intervening time, Reye will probably stumble along with his kabala. We’ll all do fine regardless of that. And, in two hundred days, Reye will be gone or demoted. Like I said, ‘Things will work out.’”

Heading towards Hanna’s, he said, “I need a drink.”

I said, “And we need to mingle and keep our ears open. . . .”

The Reporter sent me the voting results via wristpad. I looked them over and then turned to the collected colonists and said, “Fellow Ex-Earthers, Alchibans, citizens, I’m pleased to present you with the winners of the election for Town Council: Getting the most votes was Lester Reye, who will serve as Council Moderator. Also appointed to the council was Kara, Connor Benjamin, Mariana Stuart, and myself.

“Congratulations to all. I believe we have some celebrating to do and I brought down 40 fresh chickens, plucked courtesy of the Mayflower crew, plus fresh salad makings from the ship’s greenhouse, and other assorted delights. Oh, and two cases of assorted spirits from the ship’s bar!

“If there’s no other business, I declare this Town Meeting to be over.”