“The Americans?”
“Precisely. I propose we go back by a hundred years and turn the British Empire into the world dominator. What progress do you think we can make if we begin our efforts in London at the turn of the 18th Century? Keep in mind, Nunol and Marwal cannot make good use of the years we have already made use of either. We give the British the tools they need to grow and expand and then let them continue through these dead years on their own. The archives will tell us if we have a winning scenario.”
“Nunol and Marwal will still be working against us.”
“Then we have to do better than before. We now have the advantage of having experience building an Empire. Vara, your efforts will be to find and detain Marwal. Reno, you will continue to educate and push technological developments, and I will build factories and farms like the world has never seen.”
Naffi stared at the display and then sighed.
“Is there something wrong?” Reno asked.
“The Americans. My friends in the Civil War. I just realized they probably no longer exist. Or at best, they will never know each other or the camaraderie we shared as that war no longer happens.”
Reno patted him on the shoulder. “Perhaps you will make new friends among the Brits in the American War for Independence.”
“Perhaps. It will be interesting to see the effects on Human history. Without the American victory, the French Revolution would not have occurred as it did and Napoleon would never have come to power.”
Vara said, “Are we going to just speculate about this effort or get it underway?”
Reno stood. “I'll go start a few clones warming.”
~~~~~
What's Next?
_______________________
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Stephen
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(Preview)
QUANTUM
(Vol. 3)
American Revolution
Chapter 3.1
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Naffi sat in the lab with Reno and Vara on Mentox-I, looking over maps of the North American territories for the year 1700 A.D. “I'd like to get a feel for the situation in Acadia. The French currently possess it, I think we begin our campaign there, seeing to it those territories fall into the hands of the British. They are already contested and will eventually change hands anyway. We'll just be speeding the process.”
Vara continued to look through the archives. “You should begin in Boston. You'll find a Colonel Benjamin Church who in 1696 takes a force up the bay of Fundy on a raid against the French at Beaubassin and a number of other villages. He has ins with the Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.”
After a short stint of reading, Naffi decided on a destination on the outskirts of Boston. A clone was sent back to the year 1670 A.D., right in the middle of the colonization effort. The clone of Naffi, with an assumed name of John Crawley had established himself as a fur trader. The playback of his four-year excursion had been halfway forwarded through.
“This next series of events,” Naffi said, “was harrowing. I had gone up the Merrimac River and over to the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee to trap beaver. The local Algonquin were friendly after I traded them a dozen quality knives, which showed I would be no trouble. They even provided me with a guide to find the animals. And I will say that after some of our more recent journeys it was both calming and satisfying at the beginning. If we did not have such pressing needs, it might be a life I would choose to live on a permanent basis.”
Reno asked, “Aside from your pleasant adventure, what progress was made toward our goals?”
“Excellent progress, I believe. The Indians were the southernmost tribe of the Wabanaki Confederacy. Of the five major tribes in that alliance, these were of the Abenaki. These eastern Indians were constantly at war with the Mohawks, who were part of the Iroquois Alliance of tribes to the west. The Wabanaki sided with the French to get weapons that would protect them against the Iroquois and Mohawks. As a consequence, the Iroquois sided with the British for the same reasons.”
“And again, how is any of this progress?”
“I am now on speaking terms with the chiefs of the Abenaki. In the next year I will be able to do the same with the Mohawks.”
“For what purpose?”
“For the purpose of allying the Indians in order to drive out the French, bringing the eastern region of New France under British rule.”
“And if the Indians don't like British rule?”
Naffi smiled. “It won't matter. When the French are gone I will work to again turn the tribes against one another. When they have sufficiently weakened themselves, the colonists will dominate. Once that has happened, we can work on the Louisiana territories to the west and the peninsula of Florida to the south. With that consolidation and with the proper rule coming from Britain, we will continue our spread of control to the remainder of the American continents.”
Vara asked, “And what of Europe and the rest of the world?”
“With a British navy that rules the seas, the European nations will have no other choice than to sign treaties with the British Empire, into which they will eventually be absorbed due to necessity. The remainder of the world will follow.”
“And you believe the hundred years we have available will be sufficient?”
“We were in France for only forty. Had there been more time or if we were rid of Marwal and Nunol, that venture may have succeeded. Here, in forty years, you will see trains crisscrossing the continents and all countries focused on trade. The forty years that follow will be a world that is advancing like never before. Electrification, automobiles, planes... all those things we accomplished with the French, only now we will be a hundred years earlier.”
Vara gazed at the display. “You mentioned harrowing, sir?”
Naffi began the playback. “Yes. And please just call me Naffi. We are all equals here in this room. I was out with my Algonquin guide, Koya, inspecting a set of traps, when we spotted a pair of Mohawk scouts. Koya pulled me behind cover and we watched until the two were out of sight. Thankfully, due to Koya's diligence, our canoe was well hidden.”
Reno chuckled, “Doesn't sound that harrowing.”
“It will be,” Naffi replied. “Just be patient.”
As the playback continued, Koya released the shoulder of John Crawley. “We must go. There will be others.”
The pair moved up from the water's edge into the cover of the woods. As they walked, Koya again pulled John to the stop, listening intently at the woods across the Pemigewasset River they were working.
“Many footsteps.”
John strained to listen. “I don't hear anything.”
“Come. We must hurry to warn the others.”
Koya turned and sprinted further into the woods before turning south toward his tribe's village. Naffi sped through an hour of the playback before a huffing and puffing John Crawley came to a stop as the village broke into view. Koya ran straight to the chief's hut as he spread word of the coming attack. Within minutes the entire village was in an uproar.
Two scouts raced away in a canoe, heading out to spread word of the coming raid to the other tribes around the lake. The women gathered children and filled their arms with whatever could be carried. The men readied the remaining canoes with the children being placed aboard. The canoes were paddled hurriedly away as the women and elderly men, those too old to fight, broke into a hurried walk down a path that
would take them south along the lake to the next village.
John Crawley found Koya. “How can I help?”
The tribal chief, Anatoha, came to stand beside the two men. “We will confront them at the falls and attempt to lead them away.”
Koya banged a fist on his chest. “We follow your command.”
The thirty-two warriors of the village, a list that included boys who were old enough to carry a bow or a musket, hurried north into the woods. Naffi again sped the playback to a point where the tribe had taken a defensive position near a set of falls. All was quiet for another fifteen minutes until the two Mohawk scouts appeared, creeping ever forward as they scanned the woods ahead of themselves.
The scouts were allowed to come within thirty meters before a dozen arrows were released, seven finding their marks. As one of the scouts fell forward, the other dropped to his knees and let out a war cry.
Naffi took a deep breath. “I was nervous enough, but that scream was terrifying.”
Another five arrows finished the job. The chief then waved the war party to hurry east, toward a much larger village on the shores of Lake Sebago. Again, a scout was sent ahead to warn of the potential raid.
Ten minutes into the run a second group of Mohawks were encountered. A short exchange of muskets and arrows saw the fleeing, smaller tribe again turning south.
Naffi sped forward to the next encounter. “We had lost five in the prior exchange. The other raiding party, more than seventy men, caught up to us.”
The peaceful woods on the display turned into a bloodbath as the remaining Algonquin and John Crawley reached the edge of the abandoned village. Lead shot was fired, arrows flew, and knives and tomahawks were drawn. In a final scene, a warrior with a tomahawk raced toward John as he raised his musket. A clap of gunpowder was followed by a small hole opening in the chest of the attacker. The struck-warrior fell forward, tumbling to a stop as two more came immediately behind him. Before another reload was possible, John was subdued and the fight was over. Playback was paused.
“We fought bravely, but there were too many. Myself, the chief, and Koya were captured. It was then that I noticed a British guide. He was another trapper I had seen several times in Boston.”
The playback was again initiated as the three captives were forced down on their knees before the raiding chief and his British escort.
The Brit stood in front of Naffi's clone. “Mr. Crawley, if I'm correct.”
“You are. And if I recall you would be William Bennett.”
“I am. And what would you be doing in these parts, running with these savages?”
“Earning a living?”
The Brit smirked. “You do know the nations of the Wabanaki are our enemies, right?”
“They have treated me well.”
“I do hope we don't find any evidence of you running guns out here.”
“Knives are as far as I go. You can check with Tom O'Shaes trading post in Boston. He has the papers on my trades.”
“Yeah. Well, Mr. O'Shaes is no longer in business.”
“What happened?”
William leaned in with a grin. “He was caught selling guns to traders who were working these territories. He saw the end of a rope just the end of last week. Or so I've been told.”
“A shame, I found his prices to always be fair.”
William took a step to the right to stand in front of Anatoha. “Hmm. You would definitely be the chief. You wouldn't be responsible for a little raid on the settlers at Concord a couple months ago, would you?”
“Our tribe is at peace with the English.”
“Not from where the crown stands. You are allied with the French, which puts us at odds.”
The chief looked up at the Mohawk standing beside William. “The English are not our enemies. It is the Mohawk.”
“Which is why I'm gonna let my friend here take care of you.”
The Brit trader ordered the chief be taken away. Several Mohawk warriors grabbed him by his hair as several dozen others hooted and jeered.
John asked, “What will you do with me?”
William stared for several seconds. “You? You are a colonist. You are under the crown's protection. So long as the village ahead doesn't show any sign of you trading guns, you will be free to go.”
John glanced to his side. “And Koya?”
“The savage will be released. He will be our messenger to the other tribes that they need to leave these lands. These are now Mohawk lands.”
“These have always belonged to the Winnipesaukee.”
William leaned in and raised an eyebrow. “And now they don't.” He signaled with a hand wave. “Bring them both. We'll check the village and then decide.”
The two captives were pulled to their feet and their hands were restrained. As the group began to lead them toward the abandoned camp, John Crawly got a look at the freshly dismembered body of the former tribal chief.
Naffi sighed. “He was a good man. Fair. And he wasn't responsible for attacking anyone.”
The playback was forwarded to the point where the village had been searched. William walked over to the prisoners. “Untie him. The camp is clean.”
“And Koya?”
William stared at the Indian for most of a minute. “As I said. He is our messenger.” William turned to the warrior standing next to him. “Cut him loose, but take his right hand and his leftmost toe before letting him loose. And bandage him up sufficiently to survive, we don't want him bleeding out.”
Koya was hauled away, kicking and fighting as the other warriors again hooted and jeered.
John looked at William as he rubbed the rope burns that now covered his wrists. “Who's the real savage here?”
“Careful, Crawley. You ever trap with one hand? If I was you I would head back to Boston and figure out my next move. If caught out here with the savages again, I'm not likely to be so lenient next time. The Governor has given me discretionary authority in these matters. I don't care for killing fellow colonists, but I'll do it if they become a problem.”
Reno said, “A most unpleasant individual.”
“I was upset at first, but then realized he had done us a favor.”
“How so?”
“William Bennett was in with the Mohawk chiefs. His name was well known among their tribes. His introduction, although heinous, gave me a way to meet with the Mohawk chiefs. After returning to Boston I made my way west to the Hudson and then up to the Mohawk River, coming to the major Mohican village of Ossernenon.”
“The heart of the enemy territory?”
Naffi chuckled. “I was no one's enemy. I was a fur trader. And so long as I had goods of value to trade I was welcomed. Anyway, I was greeted by the chiefs and discussed what I might be able to do for them. First, I built their trust through fair dealings and then I began work on trying to persuade them it would be more profitable to trade with the Wabanaki Confederacy than to fight with them. I hinted repeatedly that the British were using them to fight their war with France, all the while expanding their own territories.”
“And did it work?”
“Not as of yet. But I believe they have significantly softened their stance.”
“You were there four years. We don't get those years in Boston back, you know.”
Naffi chuckled. “I'm familiar with how it works.”
Vara asked, You've shown us three years, what happens in the fourth?”
“I return to the Wabanaki and make it all the way to their senior council. I was given an audience and made a pitch for peace. They were willing if the Iroquois were willing. Unfortunately, I was killed on my way back to Boston. And I have no idea what happened. One minute I was hiking through the woods toward the Kennebunk River and the next everything went black.”
“So what's next?” Reno asked.
Naffi sighed. “I go back with a new clone and work on the Iroquois, further attempting to build an alliance.”
“What about our work on educationa
l and technological advances?”
“Where would you like to begin? In the Americas or in London?”
“Since we are British now, definitely London. But before any of that can begin I will need to set up an identity, get credentials, and put a financial system in place so that we are ready to go whenever we send a clone back.”
Vara said, “Why don't you let me set that up for you? Marwal will not be taking action against us until he has a target. I'll drop into Paris and sail over to London. By traveling back to France, Marwal and Nunol will think we're still trying to prop up the French.”
Naffi slowly shook his head. “I've already been to the Americas.”
“To the Americas... where there are still French colonies. And I believe we should make every effort to keep him off our track early on. That will allow us to build a good foundation for our plans. And if Marwal is still attempting to help the British as he was... all the better.”
Reno smiled. “Most excellent suggestion, Vara. You have my approval. How long will you need?”
“To acquire the wealth we will need in London for a good start... six weeks.”
Naffi winced. “I feel I must protest. Unless I return to the Iroquois in a timely manner, my work there might be lost.”
“Then give me two weeks, although I can't promise the accommodations will warrant much respect, but I guess at this stage it doesn't matter.”
Reno scoffed. “You can return to the Iroquois at the time you desire regardless of Vara taking two weeks or six.”
“You are correct. Please forgive my impatience.” Naffi rubbed his chin in thought. “What if we use our technology to build our wealth. I'm certain London could use its first steam engine. I could build a factory to produce whatever we desire. What is a major need for the Brits of this time?”
Reno replied, “How about efficient stoves? A nice potbelly design with a flue that goes up the existing chimney.”
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