The Colonists Page 4

"if we don't get acrop?"

  "We have to make believe Earth doesn't exist, Roddy," said Jorden. "Wecouldn't even let them know we need help, we're so far away." He grippedthe boy's shoulders solidly in his big hands and drew him close. "Wearen't going to need any help from Earth. We're going to make it on ourown. After all, what would they do on Earth if they couldn't make it?Where would they go for outside help?"

  "I know," said the boy, "but there are so many of them they can't fail.Here, there's only the few of us."

  Jorden patted his shoulder gently again as they started moving towardthe rough houses a half mile away. "That makes it all the easier forus," he said. "We don't have to worry about the ones who won'tcooperate. We can't lose with the setup we've got."

  It was harder for Roddy. He remembered Earth, although he had been onlyfour when they left. He still remembered the cities and the oceans andthe forests he had known so briefly, and was cursed with the humannostalgia for a past that seemed more desirable than an unknown, fearfulfuture.

  Of the other children, Alice had been a baby when they left, and Jerryhad been born during the trip. They knew only Serrengia and loved itswild, uncompromising rigor. They spent their abandoned wildness ofchildhood in the nearby hills and forests. But with Roddy it wasdifferent. Childhood seemed to have slipped by him. He was moody, andmoved carefully in constant fear of this world he would never willinglycall home. Jorden's heart ached with longing to instill some kind of joyinto him.

  "That looks like Mr. Tibbets," said Roddy suddenly, his eyes on the newlog house.

  "I believe you're right," said Jorden. "It looks like Roberts andAdamson with him. Quite a delegation. I wonder what they want."

  The colony consisted of about a hundred families, each averaging fivemembers. Originally they had settled on a broad plateau at some distancefrom the river. It was a good location overlooking hundreds of miles ofdesert and forest land. Its soil was fertile and the river water waslifted easily through the abundant power of the community atomic energyplant which had been brought from Earth.

  Three months ago, however, the power plant had been destroyed in adisastrous explosion that killed almost a score of the colonists. Cropsfor their next season's food supply were half matured and could not besaved by any means available.

  The community was broken into a number of smaller groups. Three ofthese, composed of fifteen families each, moved to the low lands alongthe river bank and cleared acreage for new crops in a desperate hope ofgetting a harvest before the season ended. They had not yet learnedenough of the cycle of weather in this area to predict it with muchaccuracy.

  Mark Jorden was in charge of one of the farms and the elected leader ofthe village in which he lived.

  Tibbets was an elderly man from the same village. In his middle sixties,he presented a puzzle to Jorden as to why he had been permitted to come.Roberts and Adamson were from the settlements farther down the river.

  Jorden felt certain of the reason for their visit. He didn't want tohear what they had to say, but he knew he might as well get it overwith.

  They hailed him from the narrow wooden porch. Jorden came up the stepsand shook hands with each. "Won't you come in? I'm sure Bonnie can findsomething cool to drink."

  Tibbets wiped his thin, wrinkled brow. "She already has. That girl ofyours doesn't waste any time being told what to do. It's too bad some ofthe others can't pitch in the way Bonnie does."

  Jorden accepted the praise without comment, wondering if no one else atall were aware of the hot, violent protests she sometimes poured outagainst him because of the colony.

  "Come in anyway," Jorden said. "I have to go back to the watering in alittle while, but you can take it easy till then." He led the way intothe log house.

  Their homes on the plateau had been decent ones. With adequate powerthey had made lumber and cement, and within a year of their landing hadbuilt a town of fine homes. Among those who had been forced to abandonthem, no one was more bitter than Bonnie. "You're no farmer," she said."Why can't those who are be the ones to move?"

  Now, when he came into the kitchen, she was tired, but she tried tosmile as always at her pleasure in seeing him again. He couldn't imaginewhat it would be like not having her to welcome him from the fields.

  "I'll get something cool for you and Roddy," she said. "Would yougentlemen like another drink?"

  When they were settled in the front room Tibbets spoke. "You know whywe've come, Mark. The election is only a couple of months away. We can'thave Boggs in for another term of governor. You've got to say you'll runagainst him."

  "As I told you last time, Boggs may be a poor excuse for the job, butI'd be worse. He's at least an administrator. I'm only an engineer--andmore recently a farmer."

  "We've got something new, now," said Tibbets, his eyes suddenly cold andmeaningful.

  "The talk about his deliberately blowing up the power plant? Talk ofthat kind could blow up the whole colony as well. Boggs may have hisfaults but he's not insane."

  "We've got proof now," said Tibbets. "It's true. Adamson's got theevidence. He got one of the engineers who escaped the blast to talk.It's one of them who were supposed to have been killed. He's so scaredof Boggs he's still hiding out. But he's got the proof and those who arehelping him know it's true."

  "Tibbets is right," said Adamson earnestly. "We know it's true. Andsomething like that can't stay hidden. It's got to be brought out ifwe're going to make the colony survive. You can't just shut your eyes toit and say, 'Good old Boggs would never do a thing like that.'"

  Jorden's eyes were darker as he spoke in low tones now, hoping Roddywould not be listening in the kitchen. "Suppose it is true. Why wouldBoggs do such an insane thing?"

  "Because he's an insane man," said Tibbets. "That's the obvious answer.He wants to destroy the colony and limit its growth. He was satisfied tocome here and be elected governor and run the show. He saw it as meansof becoming a two-bit dictator over a group of subservient colonists. Ithasn't turned out that way. He found a large percentage of engineers andscientists who would have none of his nonsense.

  "He saw the group becoming something bigger than himself. He had to cutit down to his own size. He's willing to destroy what he can't possess,but he believes that by reducing us to primitive status he can keep usin line. In either case the colony loses."

  "If what you say is true--if it's actually true," Jorden said, his eyessuddenly far away, "we've got to fight him--"

  "Then we can count on you?"

  "Yes--you can count on me."

  * * * * *

  He stood in the doorway watching the departure of the three men, but hewas aware of Bonnie behind him. She rushed to him as he turned, and puther face against his chest.

  "Mark--you can't do it! Boggs will kill you. This is no concern of ours.We don't belong to Maintown any more. It's their business up there. I'dgo crazy if anything happened to you. You've got to think of the rest ofus!"

  "I am thinking," said Mark. He raised her chin so he could look into hereyes. "I'm thinking that we are going to live here the rest of ourlives, and so are the children. If the story about Boggs is true, we'reall concerned. We wouldn't be down here if the power plant hadn't beendestroyed. We'd be living in our good home in Maintown. Would you expectme to let Boggs get away with this without raising a hand to stop him?"

  "Yes--I would," said Bonnie, "because there is nothing anyone can do.You know he has Maintown in the palm of his hand. He's screened outevery ruffian and soured colonist in the whole group and they'll doanything he says. You can't fight them all, Mark. I won't let you."

  "It won't be me alone," said Jorden. "If it develops into a fight themajority of the colony will be with us. Earth will be with us. Boggswill be facing the results of the whole two billion year struggle ittook to make man what he now is."

  * * * * *

  In the lounge off the lab cafeteria, Ashby indulged in a late coffeeknowing he wouldn't sleep anyway. A
cross the table Bonnie ate sparinglyof a belated supper.

  "The threat of having to fight Boggs didn't give him much of a scare,"said Ashby thoughtfully.

  "It'll take a lot more than a bogey man like Boggs to scare Mark," saidBonnie. "You've got yourself a bigger quantity of man than you bargainedfor."

  "This might turn out to be more interesting than we thought.