Chapter 10: Schism

Outside, three Revolutionary Guards were discussing the finer points of Aurigan ideology with some merchanter youths from outsector. They were all young and truly sympathetic to the cause of Aurigan independence; but to the Guards they were Unioners just the same.

"You see," said one youth, who wore the customary red scarf of the New Order, "though the Rathen acknowledges that Earth is the mother of us all, she is like a senile old tart that has sunk completely into depravity. A sickness that must be cut out."

"Yes," said another, "for the great Aurigan society to grow and prosper all affinities with Terra must be wiped out. Nothing less than total submission to the New Order."

"That's ridiculous," said one of the merchanters, ignoring the whitening of knuckles on the rifles of the Revolutionary Guards. "For a stellar society to operate there must be trade, free and equal trade to allow for a balancing of economic power. Terra may be decadent, but she's rich, and she designs her policies to keep her that way. That is the only evil, my friend. Earth grows rich on the colonies while the colonies suffer under her restrictions and quotas, leaving nothing for us merchants to haul but the skimpy surplus of your scrawny worlds."

"They are as children," said the last Revolutionary Guard, quieting the other two who both started speaking at once. He was older, and presumably wiser. They were all in the produce market of the merchanter quarter, and people were starting to stare.

"As the Rathen has told us: 'When all come into the New Order there will be understanding.' Our merchanter friends will soon see the new way É then they will understand as we do."

"As god and the Rathen will," said the others guards in unison, nodding solemnly. One of them had a strange light in his eyes, for like many on worlds such as Nuerjal, he proudly traced his ancestry to the poorer nations of old earth, countries whose names had been forgotten there a thousand years. Such people kept hatreds as if they were sacred to them; ancient hatreds that were nurtured and passed from father to son. They alone remembered the old wars of a worldbound man. They alone kept the ancient issues alive in their hearts.

"Even the Zionist merchants," said that one, out of that dark place in his heart where such people harbored their hatred, "even the betrayers and infidels of Earth will come to the New Order É for we will baptize them in blood."

The merchanters looked at each other with slight shakes of their heads. "Ya see Chas," said one of them, "Ya can't talk serious politics with these goons without 'em startin' ta slobber off on their religions an' tryin' ta hack it off on everybody."

The merchanters started to turn away. The Guard who had so solemnly spoke from the dark place in his heart let loose an ear-piercing shriek. A sound that only injured people, dying animals, or true fanatics seem capable of producing. He raised his rifle and shot the young merchanter who had insulted them. The older Guard slapped his rifle away and grabbed him.

"Hashdy, you fool, what are you doing," he said as he wrestled him away from the merchanters.

Chas the merchant lowered his dead friend to the ground. Then he pulled out his handgun, which all officers of merchant vessels customarily carried on shore leave and shot Hashdy as he was held in the arms of the older Guard. Then he shot the older Guard, and in turn was shot himself by the third Revolutionary Guard. This last Guard began indiscriminately shooting into the crowd, which consisted mostly of merchanters and townsfolk. It was no coincidence that very few of the townsfolk were devoted to the New Order. He yelled a strange ululating cry as he shot people, raising the alarm as more Revolutionary Guards came running from the distance. They joined the fight and drove the merchanters out of the market toward their ships. The townsfolk were massacred in the crossfire.

It was May 2, 4041, a year and a day since the formal Declaration of Aurigan Independence. The rioting spread from the merchanter quarter near the Port, into the city, and across the countryside. There was no one to stop the violence. The only Authority had been the Revolutionary Guards and the merchanters. The provisional government had no other police. Members of the old administration were exiled or in prison. The colonial police were in prison or dead. The Colonial Office had been burnt to the ground. The only representatives of the United Earth Fleet, one Colonel Hibbard and two UEF troopers, had died defending the two-room Terran Embassy at the terminal building. The Embassy Consul, Jason Parsins, had escaped, and his dead body had been found outside the city near a New Order monastery a few days before. In short: havoc was running rampant and there was nothing anyone could do.