Chapter 38

The inner cabinet was meeting to review the news from the Ministry of Defence. Ryan had presented himself at the ministry and had given a full report about the hunt for and subsequent, assumed, death of the traitor Albert Crawford aka Rebel A. He had spoken about the recovery of the remaining gas canisters and the demise of the other gang members.

He had not dwelt on the release of a female who had been held against her will. The government would not have been interested in the fate of a woman from the labour zone who was incidental to the main drama. It had been unfortunate that no one had been captured who could then be interrogated about the group, but the leader of this particular rebellion had been stopped.

The whole incident had been a disaster for Nicholas Salter and his five cohorts. The other members of the OWG had been shocked and some were appalled by the development of the poison gas without their knowledge. That had led to serious questions being asked about the inner cabinet and their power to make decisions for the entire government.

A meeting was due to take place shortly in which the role of Nicholas and his elite group would be examined. The inner cabinet would have to work out a strategy which would see them keep their extra powers. They would consider what had happened with the Crawford business and then make a plan.

Ryan had been careful to explain to his superior the circumstances which had led to Bertie disappearing. He said that they thought that Bertie had died but they could not confirm this having not found a body. This information was passed up the line and by the time it reached the inner cabinet, the death of the rebel was not in doubt. No one wanted to report a vague conclusion to the operation.

Nicholas would present this to the OWG as a triumph of detective work and swift action. They might even give Colonel Anderson a commendation for his work. The gas canisters were back in their possession and arrangements had been made for them to be stored at a much more secure location.

They would also announce to the others that the use of the gas could only be sanctioned by a government vote and that this had always been their intention. Nicholas would say some wise words about the responsibility that comes with power and the tough decisions that sometimes had to be made for the greater good. He would add a bit about learning from one's experiences and listening to others. All of which were just platitudes.

He and his colleagues would be watching everyone closely next time the OWG met. They wanted to see who spoke out against them or seemed to sympathise with those that did. Anyone who came to their attention would be eased out of their position over the coming months.

This was not the first time that Nicholas had arranged the departure of a troublesome member of the government. He had a number of methods he could employ when the need arose. If the individual had constantly been disruptive, he could just sack them for interfering with the work of the OWG. If they were subtle, he would have to adopt the same approach.

Nicholas had his own private police force. He referred to them as his security detail, but they were really his henchmen. They would gather information on targets and if there was something amiss this would be used to blackmail them. A number of people had resigned due to "ill health" after receiving a brown envelope of incriminating photos or documents.

It may be that the person was innocent of any misdemeanours. Their families would be examined in the hope that one of them had transgressed. If nothing was revealed then something could always be fabricated. In the case of one elderly gentleman, it had simply been easier to hasten his demise than go to the trouble of digging up dirt.

Each appointment to a significant post was carefully considered. Occasionally a candidate who Nicholas was not in favour of would win promotion, but he normally got his way. He could always remove them at a later stage if it became a problem. He was particularly strict when it came to the military. All of the generals were loyal to him. He did not want a coup backed by the army.

The cohort decided to draft a list of mind numbingly boring subjects that needed the attention of the government. These, they would say, were the type of thing that they dealt with on behalf of the OWG. Surely the others did not want to be called in to debate the implementation of a new rule for measuring paper production.

The stage would be set for the continuation of the inner cabinet. They anticipated that some might want to restrict what they were allowed to do. Matters of defence and budgets would be mentioned they thought. To counteract this, they would suggest that in an emergency they would be able to exceed their usual powers. They thought there would be a lot of emergencies.

The arrangement for their work had always been informal. If it was now written into statute that was not a problem. Words could be used in any document which were either ambiguous or misleading and by that method they would cling onto the privilege which they had enjoyed up until that point. Nicholas sat back and smiled as he congratulated himself for outwitting his government once again.

The next meeting included a discussion on the inner cabinet as part of its agenda. The opponents of their power were noted and their cards were marked. A motion to delineate the role of Nicholas' group was passed and a document would be produced in due course. The whole process would now be mired in legal debate for months.

As the inner cabinet was taking note of proceedings, so were others. Nicholas thought that he managed his enemies effectively and quietly, but his manipulations had not gone unnoticed. A worried few had banded together to observe him and his clique and to hopefully gather evidence of their coercion and crimes. Secrecy was of paramount importance.

The ministers at the table were guarded in their comments. Debate and discussion only raged when a, low risk change was being suggested. No one wanted to stick their head above the parapet.

Eric had been pleased to get the recognition of his hard work by being promoted to the government. He knew that it came with problems. He was sat with men who he didn't really know. Which of them was staunch OWG? Which of them were radical and wanted change? There were also those who were just biding their time until retirement.

Nicholas Salter ruled over them all. Eric was under no illusion that his word was law. He would get what he wanted by fair means or foul. For the first couple of months, he resolved to stay quiet and observe. Being in the government could be dangerous and he wanted to get out unscathed at the end.

~~~

The last few weeks had been horrifying and thrilling and Dan was glad to get back to some sense of normality. His children were relieved to have their father home and they settled into a routine of meal times and bed times. Phyllis was amazing and Dan had a growing friendship with her husband Peter.

At the army base he worked on his projects and he had lunch with Ryan when he could. The colonel was busy and he was often away from his office, but they tried to keep in touch regularly. They would discuss the progress of Dan's designs and also speak vaguely about the OWG. As their friendship grew, they would, surely, open up more about their thoughts.

Dan was learning more about the hierarchy within the government. The heads of the ministries formed a cabinet who made major decisions on behalf of the people. There was, of course, a large number of bureaucrats who carried out the instructions and managed the mountains of paperwork which were produced. The ESD was revolutionising the operations of the civil service.

He had also learned about the main players in the OWG. The most powerful was Nicholas Salter, whose family had served since the inception of the One World Government. Salter had a clique of ministers who endorsed all of his plans. They dictated how everything was run and that seemed to mean keeping things exactly as they had been for the last 100 odd years.

Eric had been helpful with facts and figures about the OWG. He was a great one for statistics. He did not, however, offer opinions about the running of the government or the personalities of his fellow ministers. Dan found it frustrating, but he did not want to push his father-in-law too hard. He was an avid fan of all things OWG.