The Colonists
Page 6
you've got a reason. Unless you hate what you've got so muchyou're willing to try anything else. Unless you're so terribly afraid ofwhat could happen to you back there that you're willing to face any kindof dangers out here. We all had our reasons. I'm not asking yours. Itmakes no difference to you what mine were. But they're all alike. Wecame because we were so afraid or full of hate we couldn't stay."
"How did you expect to build a new world out of hate and fear of the oldone?"
"Who worried about what we'd build here? All we wanted to do was getaway. You can't tell me _you_ came for any other reason!"
* * * * *
Jorden made no answer. He continued to stare in wonder at the atomicengineer. To what extent were James' words actually true? How completelywas the colony riddled with unpredictable, purposeless characters likehim?
If they had fled Earth with a purpose to create something better thanthey left, there was a chance. But if James was right that most of themhad come in blind flight with no goal at all then the Earth colony ofSerrengia would be dead long before the ships came again.
But Jorden did not believe this. He did not believe that any but a smallfraction of the colonists had any feeling toward Earth except that oflove. Most had come because they wanted to do this particular thing withtheir lives. Nothing had driven or forced them to it.
"Tell me what Boggs did, and what he persuaded you to do," said Jorden.
In detail, James told him how Boggs had gained influence with thetechnicians necessary to prepare the plant for destruction, how he hadpersuaded them that a new, idealistic social order demanded theirobedience to this fantastic plan. Then, under the Governor's direction,two of the men betrayed the rest. Only James, who was at a slightdistance from his normal operating post that night, had escaped withnon-fatal injuries.
"I know how you feel," said James. "You'd like to stick a knife into menow. But until you succeed in disposing of Boggs, you need to be sureI'm alive. When that's over you'll send someone around to take care ofthe traitor, James. But you may be sure I won't be here. I'll getthrough your guards!"
The man was half crazed, Jorden thought, from infection and fever inhalf treated wounds, and probably from the effects of radiation itself."We aren't going to set up any guards," he said. "We're going to sendyou medical care. Don't try to get away down the river. I'll have somemen who'll take you where you'll be safe and have care."
Jorden left, on the hope that James would not attempt further flightuntil he was assured of Boggs' defeat. But the colony could not quicklyadminister the kind of defeat James wanted. They had to be orderly, evenif it was a frontier community. There had to be a trial. There had to beevidence, and James had to be called to give it.
He returned to the village and made arrangements with Adamson to getmedical care for James. Dr. Babbit, one of the four physicians with thecolony, was sufficiently out of sympathy with Boggs to be trusted.
Then, with his family, he accompanied Tibbets to Maintown. On thebulletin board outside the Council Hall he hung an announcement of hiscandidacy for the governorship, which Tibbets had prepared for him.Tibbets made a little speech to the handful of people who gathered toread what was on the bulletin, but Jorden declined to make any personalstatement just now. He had enough to say when it came time to accuseBoggs of the crimes involved in destruction of the power plant.
But among those who squinted closely at Tibbets' fine, black printingthere came a look of mild awe. It had been generally assumed that Boggswould go unopposed for re-election.
On the way back Tibbets' car passed the length of Maintown and took themby the deserted house which Jorden had built in their first year onSerrengia. Bonnie gave it a covetous look, contrasting its spaciousnesswith the primitive cabin in which she now lived.
Tibbets caught her glance. "If it were not for Boggs you would still beliving there," he said.
Bonnie made no answer. Both she and Roddy stared ahead, as if unable tobring their attention to bear upon the present, because of the fearincited by everything about them. Jorden was also silent, but his eyeswandered incessantly over the surrounding hills and distant farmlands.He hadn't bargained for anything like this. He had expected to findhimself in a society of cooperative and uniformly energetic humanbeings. He knew now, without any further persuasion, that this had beena vision strictly from an ivory tower.
He should have anticipated that in a group like this there would be asprinkling of small time thugs and dictators and generally shiftlessindividuals who could not make a go of it in the society they had left.At home you could live and work with such without ever being more thanvaguely aware of their eccentricities. Here, their deviation fromrequired cooperation was enough to disrupt the whole community.
He could understand the terror in Bonnie and Roddy. They had come onlybecause of him, with no understanding of the colony's purpose. Thepresent turmoil underlined their conviction that it had been pure follyto come. Somehow he'd have to show them. He'd have to make themunderstand there was a reason for being on Serrengia. But at the momenthe did not know how to do it.
* * * * *
The program called for a continuation well into the night with a longscene at the cabin, but Ashby interrupted it as soon as they returnedfrom Maintown. He ordered a twenty four hour rest, because of Bonnie.The extended period of sleep wouldn't harm Jorden.
Bonnie, however, was furious at the interruption as she came out of thetest pit.
"If you're going to let it go to the end, why don't you get on with it?"she demanded. "The whole thing is so far off the track that you might aswell find out as soon as possible that you're not getting anywhere."
"I think we're beginning to find out a great deal. But I want you tohave a rest. The hours of this shift are much too long for you."
"You think you know what's going on inside Mark Jorden by watching thedials and meters, but you don't, because it's not himself he's concernedabout. It's a goal outside and bigger than himself. The colony _means_something to him. It never meant anything at all to any of the others."
"Then this is the kind of situation we've been looking for."
"But we haven't the techniques or insight to understand it. We cananalyze a man who's running away--but we're not prepared for one who'srunning _toward_."
* * * * *
The night after they returned from Maintown a terrific storm broke overthe plateau. It began at supper time and for an hour poured torrents ofwater on the land. Jorden wanted to go down to the river to see if theirdiversion dams were holding. If they went out it meant long days of hardhand labor restoring them.
He gave in, however, to Bonnie's plea to stay in the house with them.Roddy was frightened of the storm and looked physically ill when thundermade the walls of the cabin shake. It wouldn't change the actual factsof the damage to the dams whether Jorden examined them now or in themorning. He tried to think up stories to tell the children, but it washard to make up some dealing only with Serrengia and ignoring Earth, ashe had to do for Roddy's sake.
After the rain finally stopped and Bonnie had put the children to bedthere came a knock at the door. Bonnie opened it. Governor Boggs and twoCouncil members moved into the room. Little pools of water drained tothe floor about their feet.
The Governor turned slowly and grinned at Bonnie and Mark Jorden as thelight from the lamp and the fireplace fell upon him. "Nasty night out,"he said. "For a time I was afraid we weren't going to make it."
Boggs was a short, stout man and carried himself very erect. He seemedto exaggerate his normal posture as he moved toward the chairs Bonnieoffered the men.
Jorden remained seated in his big wooden chair by the fireplace glancingup with cold challenge in his face as his visitors settled on theopposite side of the fire.
"I'm sorry we missed you when you were in town today," said Boggs. "Itwas not until late this afternoon that I became aware of your visit."
He reached t
o an inner coat pocket and drew forth a paper which heunfolded carefully. Jorden recognized it as the announcement he hadtacked on the bulletin board. Boggs passed it over.
"I felt sure you would wish to withdraw this, Jorden, after you hadgiven it a little fuller consideration. I'm sure that by now you havehad time to think over the matter a little more calmly and find a goodmany reasons why you should withdraw your announcement."
"I haven't thought much about it," said Jorden, "but now that you callit to my attention I am becoming aware of an increasing number ofreasons why I should not withdraw. I assure you I have no intention ofdoing so."
Boggs smiled and folded up the paper and