Tranquility Down

Tranquility Down

Part Eleven

by G. Lawrence

In this sequel to Tranquility in Darkness, we find Grey, Kris, and their allies struggling to establish the Lunar Republic as a legitimate nation. This old-style science fiction novel has been presented in 11 parts.

Recap: Wounded while rescuing hostages from covert government agents, Grey finds himself the inspiration of a local uprising with national implications. This is the final chapter and epilogue of Tranquility Down. All characters are over 18 years old. All rights reserved.

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Chapter 11

ROOTS OF POWER

The armored troop carriers rolled into town square in single file, all four vehicles stopping before the town hall. Surrounding them, on the roofs of the buildings and behind barricades, hundreds of volunteers stood with rifles and shotguns at the ready position. A hatch opened on the lead carrier and four soldiers in khaki green crawled out, each holding an energy rifle. The fifth person to disembark was General Wes Larson.

"Stay close to the tank," Larson ordered his squad. "Don't get trigger happy with those fire sticks."

"Look, there he is," one of the young soldiers said, pointing at the town hall entrance.

Dressed in casual clothing, right arm in a sling, Grey walked down the steps with Kris only a pace behind. Kris was armed. Grey wasn't.

"Hello, Governor," Larson said, reaching to shake hands before realizing Grey's right arm was immobile. Grey stretched out his left hand instead. Larson was as Grey remembered him from seven months before. When Larson had been the senior surviving officer of the failed lunar invasion. They had negotiated substantial issues, drank whiskey, and played darts in Kelly's Saloon. He was fifty years old now, balding and a little overweight, calm in his manner.

"I'm pleased to see you again, sir," Grey said with a genuine smile. "Your government could not have selected a better representative."

Grey squinted against the afternoon sun, saw the rings of armed citizens encircling the square, and gestured for them to stand down. First a few, then in groups, the militia put their guns aside and dispersed to their perimeter check points.

"How are you? Anyone hungry?" Grey asked in a friendly voice, walking up to Larson's soldiers without fear.

The young troopers lowered their energy rifles and smiled, moving to get a closer look at the Governor of the Moon. Grey shook their hands, then waved to Marsus and her neighbors, drawing forward Meredith Lefebvre and several other attractive young females who offered the soldiers sandwiches and lemonade.

"No one wants any trouble," Grey said loud enough for everyone to hear. "Let's just relax, solve this problem and go home. Okay?"

The soldiers eased up as more unarmed townspeople approached, and soon the other soldiers began emerging from the armored carriers, many running over to meet Grey and get their pictures taken. Grey shook hands with these soldiers also, asked them their names, and inquired how they liked service in the Homeland Guard. General Larson slowly stepped back to stand near Kris.

"Hi, Kris," Larson said, unable to take his eyes off Grey. "Where did our young friend learn to work a crowd like this?"

"He stayed up late last night talking with one of our computers," Kris answered, hooking one of her arms around Larson's elbow. "Glad you're here, Wes. I'm really worried about where this is going."

"Can't say my orders are reassuring," Larson confessed. "They want him taken to China Lake. Protective custody, they call it."

"Is that what you've come for?" Kris asked.

"If not me, someone else. But there's lots of nervous politicians in Denver right now. Maybe something will work out."

Kris was disappointed that Larson sounded so pessimistic but took confidence from watching Grey with the young troopers. Convincing the soldiers that Grey should be taken into custody, never to be seen again, might be a tough sell. She hoped Larson was thinking the same thing.

Grey spent a few more minutes making sure the soldiers and townspeople were socializing, then walked back toward Larson with two companions.

"Let me introduce Simon Gott, our security officer, and John Farmer, representing the people's watch committee," Grey introduced. "Gentlemen, General Wes Larson. General Larson and I spent Winter Holiday at Tranquility together."

John and Simon each gave Larson a subdued acknowledgement. Larson noticed the energy blaster Simon was wearing and had no doubt the man was an enforcer.

"Would you mind holding our meeting in the park?" Grey asked.

"Will we have enough privacy?" Larson answered, seeing people everywhere.

"There's a secluded picnic area next to the church," Grey suggested.

They walked along the sidewalk, passed between the feed shop and the fire department, and crossed a section of highway toward a tall white church. Kris, John, and Simon stopped at the edge of the park while Grey showed Larson to a sheltered area nearly enclosed by oak trees.

"I'm sorry if this seems unconventional," Grey apologized, sitting on a wooden bench next to a picnic table.

"Any special reason we're out here?" Larson said, taking a seat on the other side. "You don't think I would...?"

"Of course not, sir," Grey said, dismissing any suggestion of treachery. "Being outdoors is a novel experience for me. I enjoy it."

"You're not going to enjoy my orders," Larson said. "They want you brought to China Lake, under arrest if necessary."

"I'm prepared to cooperate, if the Congress-In-Council will meet my terms," Grey replied.

"Officially, the government doesn't negotiate with revolutionaries. Unofficially, they may be willing to listen," Larson speculated, studying Grey's reaction.

"These citizens are not revolutionaries," Grey insisted. "Their town was attacked by terrorists and they have banded together in self-defense."

"That's one way of looking at it, I suppose. But I'm commanding a guard of four thousand troops, and if the Council can't get what it wants, my orders are to arrest the ringleaders and crush anyone who gets in the way," Larson explained.

"Is that all?" Grey asked.

"Isn't that enough?"

"I prefer to avoid violence, but the Council members need to consider their options," Grey responded. "What if we expose the federal marshals arrested here as accomplices of the terrorists? What if it's revealed that the Council's agents destroyed X51 prematurely, endangering thousands of their own citizens? Just because these possibilities have been downplayed doesn't mean that policy will continue."

"Your discretion is appreciated, I'm sure," Larson said. "What are you offering?"

"I will accompany you voluntarily," Grey said. "And the Lunar Republic's sovereignty will be placed on the negotiating table. In exchange, Hope Valley is exonerated of all revolutionary suspicions and the Congress-In-Council will set a date for new national elections."

"New elections?" Larson asked, taken completely by surprise.

"Why should I surrender the Lunar Republic to a government that has no constitutional legitimacy?" Grey explained. "No, sir. Your Council's entire purpose has been to recapture the moon and carry that success into the election campaign. They can have me, and maybe the moon, too, but not without elections."

Grey paused to let Larson consider his reply, taking the opportunity to inhale a pain killer Dr. Rollins had given him. Though the discomfort was manageable, he was still annoyed by the restrictive sling and the tight bandages around his chest.

"You realize that once we reach China Lake, my authority will cease at the gate," Larson warned. "There will be interrogations, and probably worse. Probably a lot worse."

"I've considered that," Grey said.

"Have you? Have you really?" Larson pressed.

Grey smiled, remembering an old poem.

"Blind my eyes and break my bones;

Or any other horror.

Here I stand, my spirit firm;

You cannot touch my honor."

"They don't give a flying fuck about your honor, son," Larson said.

"The moment I enter custody, all of Tranquility's defense codes will change. They'll get nothing worthwhile," Grey said, not quite so fearless as he pretended. "And if the Congress-In-Council thinks I'm difficult to negotiate with, wait until they need to deal with Tranquility's computers."

"This is a lot to consider," Larson said. "General Vandebrown gave me some latitude, so I don't think the amnesty will be a problem. Opening negotiations on the moon's status should be welcomed, too, but only the Council can schedule elections. How much time do we have?"

"Though I'm not looking forward to your government's custody, a lengthy delay would not benefit the process," Grey cautioned, feeling a twinge of pain when he tried to take a deep breath. "And don't forget, sir, that you allowed Captain Fairfield down under a safe conduct. Regardless of what happens to me, you are honor bound to protect her."

"Does she know about all of this?" Larson asked.

"She knows I'm seeking to deescalate the situation. When the army stands down and new elections are announced, the public will assume the process was successful. I'll announce that additional negotiations are planned and that the moon may return to its former colonial status. With so much activity, there will be no need to reveal inconvenient details."

"I see," Larson pondered.

"Is there anything else?" Grey asked.

"That should cover it. I'll make my report and General Vandebrown will take your proposals to the Council. Senator Tyman will probably make the final decision."

"That will be adequate," Grey agreed. He stood up, but the pain killer made him dizzy and he was forced to sit back down.

"It's nice out here, isn't it?" Grey said, trying to cover up for the momentary weakness. Larson wasn't fooled. Not by any of it.

"What do you think of Earth?" Larson asked.

"It's a very interesting planet. And the people are nicer than I was led to believe," Grey admitted.

"No regrets?" Larson pressed.

"Some say life can be unfair," Grey said in a quiet voice, gazing out to where Kris was standing guard. "I don't know if that's true, but sometimes, I wish things could have been different."

When Grey let his guard down for a moment, Larson saw a sadness he'd never noticed before. It reminded him that, despite his veneer of confidence, Grey was still just a young man carrying far too much responsibility.

"Grey, what really happened on TL-68?" Larson whispered, leaning across the table.

"Dillon, Levinsky, and Carpentier destroyed TL-68," Grey coldly answered.

"We were opponents during the invasion. Since then, we've become friends. At least, I like to think so," Larson said. "If we're going to work our way through this, maybe we should trust each other?"

"It's not a matter of trust, sir," Grey hesitated.

"If the two of us were just talking, like we did back at Tranquility, no armies, no rebels, just an old soldier and a young soldier, and the old soldier asked to hear a hypothetical story that he would never repeat, what might that story sound like?" Larson propositioned.

"A hypothetical story?" Grey asked.

"Strictly hypothetical," Larson said hopefully.

"Never repeated?" Grey said.

"Never," Larson assured him.

Grey looked up at the leafy trees overhead and drew a difficult breath, struggling to make up his mind. He knew Larson was probing, but there was more to his question than mere curiosity.

"There's a story I once heard," Grey reluctantly said. "When a dangerous mission was being launched to stop a rogue asteroid, a government official made a secret overture to an enemy computer requesting to have a rescue shuttle standing by. Hoping to open a back channel for future negotiations, the computer launched a shuttlecraft. The computer didn't know there was a stowaway on board."

Grey felt a shiver and stood up, looking in every direction as his heart beat faster. Larson couldn't remember ever seeing him so nervous.

"When the Earth shuttle crashed into the asteroid, the rescue shuttle was summoned to help. The rescue shuttle crashed, too. The stowaway discovered one astronaut had survived the crash, at least for a few days. He never saw the man's face. Never heard his voice. But the astronaut had worked diligently, having already planted eleven warheads. The stowaway placed the final warhead, set the timers, and escaped in an ejection pod which the surviving astronaut could have used for himself. On the flight panel of the ejection pod, the astronaut had scribbled a note. It said, 'good luck kid."

When Grey discovered tears running down his face, he turned away, not turning back until he'd recovered some measure of control.

"To credit the stowaway for destroying TL-68 is wrong," Grey insisted. "It's wrong and I won't have anything to do with it."

"But you...? That is, the stowaway risked his life to save millions of people. Some say billions of people," Larson protested.

"The stowaway wasn't there to save the world," Grey said. "He was an arrogant boy who didn't want to be cheated out of an adventure. The astronauts deliberately sacrificed their lives for the mission; he was only there out of stubbornness."

Grey finished wiping his eyes with his sleeve, wondering why thinking of the incident still affected him so emotionally after so many years. Gradually, he sat back down. Larson remained quiet, giving Grey time to regain his composure.

"That Oliver woman is making quite a ruckus over this," Larson said.

"She has no evidence. I was drugged. Her theory shouldn't be hard to discredit," Grey said hopefully. "Not that it will matter much longer."

Grey's final comment struck home in a manner Larson hadn't anticipated, the gloomy fatalism sending a chill up his spine. It also made him angry.

"Damn it all. Why don't you fight back?" Larson asked, pounding the table with his fist. "You've got thousands of people ready to back you up. You've got that rattlesnake of a reporter and a global web. Why not shove new elections right down the Council's throat?"

"Fight back with what? Pitch forks against tanks?" Grey said. "These people have been through that once already. They didn't ask me to come here. They didn't invite terrorists into their town. Why should any of them die for me?"

"Why should you risk your life for them?" Larson asked him back.

"I knew the risks. It was my gamble and I'm prepared to accept the consequences," Grey said so quietly Larson almost didn't hear him. "Sir, there's no point in discussing this further. Please relay my terms to your commander."

Grey moved out from under the trees into the bright sun, struck for a moment by the glare. Larson was quickly at his side, walking briskly to keep pace.

"Making progress?" Kris asked as they approached the highway.

Grey walked past them without comment, heading back toward his headquarters in the fire department. Kris looked at Larson, wondering what was wrong. John and Simon looked equally confused.

"Simon, keep an eye on Grey," Kris ordered before turning to Larson. "Wes, what happened?"

"I never quite got it before, but now I understand why that young man pisses you off," Larson said, pacing back and forth.

"Why? What did he say?" Kris asked.

"The Council won't negotiate in good faith," Larson said, speaking to himself as much as to Kris and John. "They'll agree to the new elections, then cancel them the moment they have him in custody."

"New elections?" John asked.

"Custody?" Kris said.

"How serious are you about this?" Larson asked, looking John straight in the eye. "Are you willing to take it all the way down field?"

"That's why we're here," John assured him.

"Grey said he wouldn't fight back because he won't put pitchforks up against tanks," Larson muttered, rolling up his sleeves. "Well, now you've got tanks. Let's get to work."

As Larson marched back toward the town square to organize his troops, Kris and John burst into smiles and followed.

____________

"Well, isn't this a fucking hell of a report?" Tyman cursed, waving a press release before his colleagues on the Council. "We send an army to arrest that kid, and now we've got to send a second army to arrest the first army. Goddamn it! What the hell's going on here?"

"Calm down, Roy, no point in having a stroke," Congressman Kim said, pulling out a chair for him.

"General Vandebrown and his son will be here in a few minutes," Admiral Trolleni said. "Maybe they've got something worked out."

"Worked out? Worked out? What could they possibly have worked out?" Tyman shouted. "Are you listening to the nets? Reading those goddamn polls? At this rate, we're the ones who will be arrested."

"It's not that bad," Congresswoman Kamar disagreed. "Larson claims he's maintaining martial law. No one's calling it a revolution."

"Not yet," General Smyth grimly remarked.

Thirty kilometers away, in a military runner traveling from the spaceport toward the capitol, General Vandebrown sat on one side of the back seat while Roger sat on the other with Tey Meriwether in the middle. They were silent for the first few kilometers.

"There isn't much time left," Tey finally said. "Maybe you two should talk?"

"Who would I be talking to?" James asked. "My son or the Lunar Republic's foreign minister?"

"Roger is your son before anything, sir," Tey said. "And he serves the Lunar Republic because he's a patriot."

"Patriot? I've been a soldier for forty-two years, young lady. Don't tell me about patriotism," James lectured.

"Before we start name calling, Dad, you should know I've asked Tey to marry me, and she said yes," Roger revealed, holding Tey's hand.

"Congratulations," James gruffly responded, leaning over to give Tey a kiss on the cheek. "Don't know how my son landed a doctor, though. That sure doesn't make any sense."

"Lots of things don't make sense, Dad," Roger questioned. "What were you thinking when you sent Larson to Hope Valley? Governor Waters and Larson have a deep personal respect for each other. Did you really think Larson would turn him over to be tortured by the Council's agents?"

"Never thought so for a minute, that's why I sent him," James answered.

"You knew?" Tey asked.

"Of course. What? Because I'm growing old, you think I'm getting senile?" James grunted.

"I don't get it. You must have known this would put the Council on the defensive," Roger said.

"Damn right," James admitted. "Son, you've come a long way. Now that I've met your fiancée, I'd say you've come even farther than I imagined. But you're not ready for the first team."

"Initiate me," Roger said with raised eyebrows.

"Your Lunar Republic entered a public relations war with the Congress-In-Council nine months ago," James recounted. "The moon was invaded, the invasion failed. The Council tried to murder Waters but was forced to accept a truce. The Council lured him into that asteroid fiasco, only to make him a bigger hero than ever. At every turn, Waters has embarrassed the Council to achieve the negotiating position he needed. And the whole time, while we were feeding information to you, you were turning it around to his benefit. Did you really think I wasn't going to figure it out?"

"I'm sorry about that, Dad. Really, I am," Roger apologized. "But there wasn't any other way."

"Maybe not," James guessed. "But when I learned the Council was postponing elections again, suddenly the strategy made sense. If Waters couldn't negotiate with this government, he'd threatened to install a new one. And what better way to force new elections than by creating an incident in Hope Valley where it all began eight years ago?"

"You're saying this was Grey's plan from the beginning?" Tey questioned.

"A blind man could see it," James confirmed. "Fortunately, the Council members aren't blind, just fools. That's why I sent Larson. I ran Water's bio through our psych lab. The report says he likes to play the game close to the edge. Too damn close, in my opinion. He might even have decided that being a dead martyr would serve his cause better than being a live hero. I don't want that to happen. I've gained a grudging admiration for this kid."