Chapter 40

Sebastien arrived at his new posting and was immediately shot with the Ellis Immobiliser. In view of the other initiation, he had undergone this one had been painful, but brief, which was much better. The concept of the stun weapon had fascinated him and he had inspected it closely after his ordeal.

The way that the army had murdered his friend and compatriots had made him angry once he had got over the horror. He had begun to speak out where once he would have stayed quiet. He wasn't being disobedient, but he was raising issues and making suggestions. His commanding officer had been annoyed that some of his ideas were reasonable. He had arranged for Sebastien to be transferred before implementing the changes and claiming the credit for himself.

The young man was still slightly shaken when he sat opposite Colonel Anderson. Sebastien said that he was pleased to be with the unit and, despite being on the wrong end of the Ellis Immobiliser, he was very impressed with it. He was assured that he would not be subjected to it again.

Ryan dismissed Sebastien after an introductory interview and then he carried on with the inevitable paperwork which came with his position. He liked the new recruit and wondered what he would be able to do if he had a lot more men like him. Since his talk with Dan all he could think about were ways to get rid of Salter and his cronies and start the reforms which were so desperately needed.

He had some time today to actually have lunch and he rang through to Dan's workshop to make an arrangement to meet. It was a Thursday, so that meant that there would be roast beef on the menu. They both hoped that there would be Yorkshire puddings too. It was at lunch that Ryan told his friend about his new soldier by the name of Sebastien.

Dan tried desperately to keep his face neutral when he heard the name.

"What's he like?" he asked in what he hoped was a nonchalant way.

"Young, tall and gangly, you know the sort. He looks a bit world weary though."

The description was definitive. It was the Sebastien he had met outside of the leadership town.

He would go and seek out the young soldier the first chance that he got. Dan made his way back to his workshop and decided that he would summon Sebastien to him. The lad had just been zapped by the Ellis Immobiliser and he would ask him to give feedback. He sent his assistant off on an errand and awaited his visitor.

Sebastien went into the room after knocking and being given permission to enter. He barely got one foot inside before he froze at the sight of Dan.

"It's okay. Come in and we will talk."

Dan quickly explained that nobody knew about their previous meeting and he would not tell anyone unless Sebastien said that it was alright.

They talked about the poison gas and what had happened after their conversation. No one could have foreseen what Bertie would do next. Breaking into an army base, stealing the gas and then using it in the name of rebellion was totally unexpected. Dan confirmed that the canisters had been recovered and were currently in a much more secure location.

The young soldier began to relax and he looked around the workshop asking questions about the immobiliser and other projects that were being tackled. The talk was of innovation and ideas and then Sebastien stopped.

"The OWG are still running the world and making weapons. We have changed nothing. Surely there is something that we can do."

~~~

Eric had longed for promotion to the cabinet. He was finally a minister in charge of logistics. His work in the upper ranks of the ministry had prepared him for this role and there was little he didn't know about the job. The work was challenging and his hours were long, but he had expected them to be.

His joy at his promotion had been curtailed following the death of his wife at their party. The death which had been caused by poison gas which had been invented on the orders of the inner cabinet of the OWG. Gas which had been stored at a place whose security was so easily breeched. The rebel who broke into it, was angry because of the actions of the OWG.

Then, as if his grief wasn't quite enough, his daughter had been taken from him by the same rebel. Albert Crawford had heaped so much misery on his family. The conversation he had subsequently had with his son in law Dan, had made him think about the way that the world was run.

He had watched his daughter Samantha grow from a happy little girl into a frustrated bitter woman. Shopping and the occasional meeting of a women's group were not enough to stimulate her brain. He could not remember her being truly content once she became an adult. How had he ignored her plight for so long?

And then there was his own wife, Sarah. Had she spoken in such a quiet deferential way when he had first met her, or had he changed her. He was the man and in charge and he had reminded her of this fact on a regular basis. He had never hurt her physically, but he had been guilty of a certain amount of intimidation which he used to stamp his authority.

Sitting in cabinet meetings Eric could now see everything so clearly. He had thought that the rules and edicts were there for the people. He now knew that they were there partly for the leadership class, but mostly for the government. They had wealth, possessions and power and they were not going to let it go.

He could see the various cliques around the table when the cabinet met. Even in the short time that he had been a minister he noted that one of the main detractors had suddenly left his post. Gossip within the government was of many others who had conveniently stood down or even died. The opponents of Nicholas Salter were still there, but they were less obvious now. Discretion was most definitely needed if one wanted to stick around.

The inner cabinet were ruthless in their determination to be in charge. Eric could see that they manipulated the others. Certain ministers were tangled in miles of red tape as they tried to do their jobs. Distracted and overstretched they had less opportunities to interfere with Salter and his cronies.

A small police force was based within the government building. Eric became aware that they were not a security detail, they were really Salter's private army. They were spying on other ministers to ensure that no one could usurp the inner cabinet. What were they doing that couldn't be shared with the rest of the OWG?

Just like the inner cabinet were observing the other ministers looking for signs of dissent, Eric watched too. He noticed the man tapping his pen on the table with frustration. He noticed the man who looked away when a controversial topic was discussed. He noticed the look of resignation on a man's face when yet another vote went Salter's way.

At the end of his working day Eric went back to his large, but empty house and wondered about his life. He was doing a good job for the OWG. Supplies were flowing around the world ensuring the population had enough to eat and the necessities for a comfortable existence. Very comfortable if you were amongst the elite. Not so good if you were a labourer.

Eric had always served his government, but now it was time to serve the people. He could not sit in meetings hoping that someone would be brave enough to effect change. He had to be the brave man. He also had to be a clever man. The inner cabinet thought that they had all angles covered, but there had to be a chink in their armour.

He knew the ministers who would like to reform the system. Eric needed to speak to them and get ideas for how they could get rid of Salter and his inner cabinet. They were the ones who were thwarting all those who wanted a better, fairer system. The reformers could work together, but they would need help from others too.

Eric had met high ranking army personnel and he knew that their sympathies were with Nicholas Salter. That was a big problem and he would have to give a lot of thought to how he could surmount that particular issue. They needed the forces on their side if they were going to win.

He was determined that his grandchildren would grow up in a world where people were treated fairly and women were treated equally. Eric would not see a huge change in his lifetime, but he could help to start the process. He poured himself a large brandy and sat in his leather wing backed chair.

It had been a long time since he had felt content. The deaths of his wife and daughter had, of course, left him grief stricken. There had also been a more profound effect on him. Everything that he believed had been challenged and he had struggled to find a reason to carry on. Now he had a purpose. He would fight until his dying breath to reform the OWG.