Henry Gallant Saga 2: Lieutenant Henry Gallant by H. Peter Alesso Page B

to get reelected?”
    “There is little appetite to fight the status quo, especially since he has acquired a great deal of wealth within our tiny fragile economy. So he continues. Or he’s continued until your arrival. I suspect, he’s sweating, trying to figure out how to get rid of you without fomenting more dissension than he can control.”
    “I’m interested in fashioning a working relationship between the people of Elysium and the Intrepid. We need to establish a mine for heavy metals along with a forge and manufacturing facility to conduct our repairs. Our scans have revealed possible deposits of heavy metal ores near the base of the giant volcano to the north. With your machinery and labor added to ours, we could get the Intrepid ready to return to Earth. Those willing to join us could come.”
    “Perhaps,” said Hepburn.
    Gallant was disappointed with the tepid response. “What can I do to influence Wolfe?”
    Hepburn said, “You must appeal to his ego and vanity. Either you get Wolfe’s attention focused on you, and he responds reasonably, or else you leave your fate to his kind of consideration. Anyone who trusts Wolfe’s determinations deserves what he gets, which is not pleasant. It may sound calculating or devious, but otherwise you are left at his mercy which you will surely regret. Of course, you should realize, any deal you strike with Wolfe is likely to be subject to his revisionism, according to amorphous circumstance as he sees them.”
    “I take it you don’t like Wolfe?”
    “Oh, my feelings toward the man are much more complex than like or not like. It isn’t a simple animosity. I don’t trust him, but I do respect him. I must respect the man who found a way to unite our people on this colony in the face of a horrific threat from the Titans. I am glad he was able to use the force field technology to protect us no matter what he did to acquire it. I do respect his ability to dominate the colony for twenty years and to avoid sharing power while creating a faux democracy to shore up his image. I don’t fear him, but I am wary of acts openly against him. I know he spends much of his day thinking up logical lies to convince everyone he is only acting as we would each act to protect everyone’s interests. No, it’s much more than like or not like,” concluded Hepburn.
    “I do dislike him,” contributed Alaina, emphatically.
    Gallant looked at her and then back to Hepburn. “Does he have the support of the majority of the population?”
    “Ostensibly, but it’s not a matter of support. The people follow his leadership for many of the reasons I gave. Actually, they’re ambivalent, but they are not about to cross him—not while he controls the planetary force shield. We have achieved an acceptable equilibrium of suppression and acceptance. Human tolerance for limited tyranny is exceptional, much like the lobster sitting in a pan of water as it is slowly brought to a boil.” Hepburn chuckled mildly at his own remark.
    They spent another pleasant hour together. Hepburn talked about his voyage from Ceres and his family. Gallant told them about his life growing up on terra-formed Mars. Despite the comfortable relationship they seemed to be developing, Gallant still felt a heavy presence of something important left unrevealed. And notwithstanding Gallant’s most sincere efforts, Hepburn remained reluctant to commit to any concrete arrangement between them. He was reticent to openly cross Wolfe or to make an agreement with the UP binding the colony.
    “I’m afraid my dissenting view has contaminated my granddaughter, who also acts defiantly, much to my concern,” said Hepburn.
    Alaina said, “I’m convinced the worse thing one can do is to remain idle in the face of tyranny—whether it’s a petty dictator, or worse. So I’ve agitated continuously until I’ve become a real thorn in Wolfe’s backside. I’ve organized a small group of like-minded thinkers who occasionally join me in