{"id":1177,"date":"2016-08-13T21:04:19","date_gmt":"2016-08-14T02:04:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/keithgoodnight.com\/blog\/?p=1177"},"modified":"2016-08-13T21:04:19","modified_gmt":"2016-08-14T02:04:19","slug":"first-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keithgoodnight.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/13\/first-meeting\/","title":{"rendered":"First Meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"

December 16, 2183 (continued)<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHello Warren,\u201d Safreth said. \u201cWelcome home. If I\u2019m not mistaken, you haven\u2019t been back since you graduated from high school.\u201d He straightened, stepping away from the tree. \u201cI gather we need to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Armstrong came to a stop. Star City\u2019s governor had just caught him by surprise, and on thirty-six hours without sleep he wouldn\u2019t be at his best trying to improvise.<\/p>\n

His plan had been to play the bully, try to push Safreth either into backing down, or making an unwise show of defiance that would justify his arrest. He\u2019d intended to barge into the governor\u2019s office, interrupt whatever he was doing, and force the issue. With a bit of luck, Safreth would be in the middle of talking to the other offworld governors about how to respond to the arrival of the Terran force, and they\u2019d all get the message at once. He\u2019d left it to the various company commanders to decide their own tactics, based on their understanding of the local culture of each Colony, but he knew a number of them planned the same opening move.<\/p>\n

That was out the window now. Safreth\u2019s whole manner, from his carefully relaxed lounging posture to his casual use of Armstrong\u2019s first name, was meant to demonstrate that he\u2019d neither be intimidated nor provoked. He\u2019d clearly realized the tactic Armstrong would try. Had he also anticipated Armstrong\u2019s plan to commandeer the governor\u2019s office? By meeting here, at the military base, Safreth had preempted that move. Even if Armstrong carried through with it, it wouldn\u2019t have the same impact now.<\/p>\n

Safreth immediately removed all doubt about that. \u201cI know that you\u2019ll be needing to address the Colony as a whole,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s easiest from the governor\u2019s office, so I wanted to offer you the use of it. I started off in Colony Engineering, I\u2019m happier going hands-on than sitting behind a desk anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

So much for that. \u201cThank you, Governor, I\u2019ll be able to handle things from the military headquarters here.\u201d Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lt Gillespie shift position a bit, and silently willed him not to show surprise as the change of plans. Armstrong continued, \u201cBut I\u2019m glad to hear you\u2019re willing to cooperate. I was concerned that you weren\u2019t going to see reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I have no problem with your mission.\u201d Safreth waved an airy hand. \u201cTell the Colony about the Presidential order, get your transports ready, have your troops all lined up at the spaceport to organize boarding. Anyone who wants to leave is certainly welcome to. In fact, there\u2019ve been people heading planetside for weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Armstrong knew all about the \u201cevacuation\u201d to date\u2014 far too slow to meet President Monroe\u2019s deadline, and almost certainly consisting only of the twenty percent who\u2019d voted to obey the order in Star City\u2019s referendum. He\u2019d seen the report from Intelligence that the loss of that fraction of their population would actually help the Colonies achieve self-sustaining lifesystems. It wasn\u2019t a legitimate attempt to follow the Presidential order.<\/p>\n

It did, however, provide the Colonies with a fig leaf to cover their defiance. Enough offworlders had been heading planetside to book up all the commercial passenger flights to Earth\u2014 the more so with the airlines cutting back on flights, since they were traveling empty in the other direction. By quietly ignoring the fact they could have chartered extra transport, the Colonies could pretend they were trying to comply.<\/p>\n

Time to take that fig leaf away. \u201cYes,\u201d said Armstrong. \u201cI understand there\u2019s a limit to the available flights to Earth. We\u2019re here to facilitate the evacuation any way we can, including making military transport available.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure the people on the wait list for departure will appreciate that,\u201d Safreth answered. He paused, then took things out into the open. \u201cOf course, no one who wants to stay will be forced to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s not how it\u2019s going to be, Governor,\u201d said Armstrong. \u201cThe President of the Terran Federation has issued an order to evacuate the offworld Colonies, completely, by January first. I\u2019m here to see that order carried out. You offworlders have stalled for months and I\u2019m well aware it\u2019s too late now to reach the deadline. But the evacuation will begin by that date\u2014 or we will have to compel it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think you have the means to do that,\u201d Safreth said, \u201cand I don\u2019t think you\u2019ll ever get orders to try\u2014 I know your present orders explicitly prevent you from using force against the civilian population. You\u2019re here to try and talk us into leaving, not to make us do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t kid yourself, Governor. Yes, my mission specs are to settle this peacefully. But if you defy a lawful executive order, rest assured I\u2019ll get the necessary additional orders.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI doubt that. Monroe needs us. Without the Colonies to blame for all the problems on Earth, he\u2019d be nothing. There\u2019ve been plenty of politicians like Monroe in history. Demagogues who gain power by finding villains to blame for hard times. Blame the rich people. Blame the foreigners. Blame the stamp collectors.\u201d Safreth shrugged contemptuously. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter how absurd, so long as the politician can make desperate people believe it. Then he\u2019s got it made. The worse things get, the more popular he becomes. In office, he can even go out of his way to make<\/em> things worse, knowing he\u2019ll benefit rather than be blamed. So long as the enemy is out there. But they go away? It\u2019s all over. Without his cause, he\u2019s nothing. If we evacuated the Colonies, leaving Monroe and his Earthers naked and alone with the fact that it\u2019s the Sun causing Earth\u2019s crop failures, he\u2019d be doomed. And he knows it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re wrong. The President called me to meet with him before the Offworld Force launched. Privately, off the books. He\u2019s not playing this situation for advantage, he\u2019s a true believer\u2014 and he\u2019s determined to see it through.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe I\u2019m wrong.\u201d Safreth shrugged again. \u201cI suppose we\u2019ll see. Of course, the overwhelming majority of the world\u2019s industrial capacity operates offworld. Close all that down, and the economic troubles we\u2019ve seen so far will be nothing to what comes next. Monroe might call that a fair bargain, since unlike the environmental collapse it\u2019ll hurt us harder, at least at first. So the choices are, he\u2019s a demagogue who doesn\u2019t care about the harm he does so long as he stays in power, or a fanatic who doesn\u2019t care about the harm he does so long as he has his Cause. Either way, we\u2019re not the threat to the people of Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Armstrong shook his head. \u201cGovernor, you\u2019re an elected official. Debating the merits of policy is part of your job. It\u2019s not part of mine. If my commander-in-chief issues lawful orders, I\u2019ll carry them out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust so long as you keep track of the \u2018lawful\u2019 part,\u201d the governor answered. \u201cThe President\u2019s got authority under the emergency powers to evacuate a \u2018city or other region.\u2019 It\u2019s never been done for a whole state, but whatever. But he\u2019s got no authority, under any state of emergency, to dictate policy to a state government \u2018unless that government is in a state of rebellion.\u2019\u201d Safreth smiled coolly. \u201cFunny thing about civilian governments, they have lawyers in them. Mine tell me that since we can\u2019t be ordered to adopt a policy of helping you evacuate the Colony, then we can only be called in rebellion if we actively try to block you. So you have no lawful<\/em> authority to seize control of the Colony, to replace or arrest our government officials, or anything else. Unless we try to get in your way. And to come back to where I started: you\u2019re welcome to try and talk people into leaving all you want, which is all your current orders let you do anyway. So, no rebels here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I can\u2019t kick out your government for passivity.\u201d Armstrong saw no point in contesting that point at the moment, though he\u2019d be sending a query to the JAG office. \u201cBut as a civilian in an evacuation area, I can still arrest you for refusing to leave, and toss you into a planetbound transport by force. Along with everybody else. I don\u2019t have orders to take such action yet, you\u2019re correct about that. When they come, don\u2019t count on legal technicalities to insulate you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs far as that goes, if<\/em> you get those orders, I suppose you\u2019ll have a decision to make.\u201d Safreth shrugged yet again. \u201cIn the meantime, I\u2019ve made the Colony-wide address system available to the terminals in the base here. Make your speeches, deliver your warnings, anyone who wants to leave can.\u201d<\/p>\n

He turned and strolled away, not waiting to hear any further reply. Armstrong watched him for several long, slow moments, eyes narrowed, until Lt Gillespie spoke up. \u201cRespectfully, you might reconsider taking over the governor\u2019s offices, Commander. The symbolic value of speaking from there would carry some weight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Armstrong shook his head. \u201cOccupying the office thanks to his largesse is a completely different matter from taking it over in a show of force. We\u2019d look like we were working for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWouldn\u2019t that actually improve our position? If it seemed to the population we were speaking for their Colonial government?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo. This isn\u2019t about persuading the population. That\u2019s a trap. Safreth didn\u2019t point us toward the Colony com system in order to help us accomplish our mission. They\u2019ve already voted on the issue, and they\u2019ll have heard every threatening speech President Monroe made ahead of that vote. No, it\u2019s Safreth and his government we have to either persuade or outmaneuver.\u201d<\/p>\n

He rubbed his eyes, suddenly aware again of how tired her was. \u201cTell the FCS officers we\u2019ll be setting up headquarters on base after all, and call a tac briefing for two hours from now. Tell everyone to come with options.\u201d<\/p>\n

He lowered his hands and watched Safreth continuing down the walkway, until he disappeared as the path curved around a stand of trees. \u201cI\u2019m not sure yet if he\u2019s really that confident, or if he\u2019s just a cocky son of a bitch. Before this is over, we\u2019ll have to find out.\u201d<\/p>\n

TO BE CONTINUED<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

December 16, 2183 (continued) \u201cHello Warren,\u201d Safreth said. \u201cWelcome home. If I\u2019m not mistaken, you haven\u2019t been back since you graduated from high school.\u201d He straightened, stepping away from the tree. \u201cI gather we need to talk.\u201d Armstrong came to…<\/p>\n

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