Eric Flint - Mother of Demons

The transformation occurred on two levels. On one level, the change was simple-the colony readopted Hector's military organization, with a vengeance. To Julius Cohen's great satisfaction.

The more significant change, however, he greeted with much less pleasure.

"Do you mean to tell me I'm fired? " he demanded, goggle-eyed.

Indira gazed at him patiently.

"I wouldn't put it that way, dear. I think of it as a necessary and beneficial transition in leadership."

"They're too young! Immature!"

"Really?" demanded Indira. "Then explain to me why they were the ones who-" She stopped abruptly.

Julius winced; looked away.

"Who saved the day. While yours truly, the great leader, tripped all over his feet and ran around like a chicken with its head cut off."

Indira's eyes softened. She reached out a hand and stroked his cheek.

"You were very brave, Julius. I was proud of you. And I saw no resemblance to a chicken whatsoever."

Julius puffed out his cheeks, exhaled noisily. His lopsided grin appeared.

"Nevertheless, it's true I didn't cut the most glorious martial figure."

He thought it over for a moment, then nodded his head.

"I suppose you're right. Joseph would make a better Captain. Or Ludmilla."

"Yes, they would. Much better, to be honest with you. But that's not even my main concern. The heart of the problem isn't military, it's social. And it doesn't just involve you, it involves me as well. All of us."

"What do you mean?"

"Julius, the children aren't children any longer. They have children of their own now, and they have for some time been assuming more and more responsibility for organizing the colony. As an historian, I can tell you that the way in which a society handles the transition of leadership from one generation to another is one of the key aspects of its health. There are few worse social cancers than an older generation that won't give way to new blood when the time is right."

"Yeah, I know. I've thought about it myself, now and then. I just figured-oh, I don't know. Later, I guess. I thought-I suppose I thought we still needed to lead things so that the kids would-what's the expression?-grow up in the path of righteousness."

She chuckled. "That's exactly why we have to step down now, Julius. Nothing gains greater respect for an older generation than initiating and leading a transition in authority. We won't be in the direct chain of command, any longer. But I strongly suspect that our moral authority will, if anything, increase."

The next day, Indira summoned the entire colony to a meeting. There, she explained that the time had come for the younger generation to assume the mantle of authority. She was a bit surprised at the matter of fact way in which the teenagers accepted the change.

I've lagged behind, she realized. They've been ready for this for some time. What nice, polite kids.

She was even more surprised at the outcome of the colony's deliberation. Both at the speed in which the decisions were made and the end result.

The teenagers adopted a five-person governing council, to be elected by direct vote. They ruled that the governing council would select one of its members to serve as the official leader of the colony whenever the council was not in session. The title of this post, proposed by Julius as a joke and immediately adopted, was "Admiral of the Ocean Sea."

Indira was the only one who voted against the title. But she was not too upset, for she knew it was a gesture of fondness and respect for Hector Quintero.

They also formally adopted Hector's military organization, and established the ranks of one Captain, three Lieutenants, and as many Sergeants as were needed to lead each squad.

Joseph then proposed that the Captain and the Lieutenants should automatically become additional members of the governing council, with voice but no vote. He also proposed that, by law, no one elected to any of the four major military positions could also be elected as a voting member of the council.

His proposals were adopted, with almost no discussion. (More accurately, Indira realized, the discussions had already taken place informally over a considerable period of time.)

The elections also went quickly and smoothly. Indira and Julius were elected to the governing council. They both argued against the idea, but they were outvoted. Everybody else to two.

The other members elected were Maria De Los Reyes, Jack Turrennes, and Anna Cheng.

Joseph was elected Captain. Ludmilla, Takashi, and a boy named Andrew MacPherson were elected Lieutenants. There was a bit of awkwardness around the election of Lieutenants, for there were many who thought that Jens Knudsen deserved the position. Others felt that while Jens' strength and courage were unquestioned, he lacked other requirements for military leadership.

The discussion was frank and open, especially Jens' own comments. (The boy was recovering well from his wounds. The scars on his arm and shoulders were horrible, but Maria said he would eventually recover his full strength.)

"I haven't got the temperament," he announced cheerfully. "It's that simple."

He waved off the protests.

"I didn't say I was stupid or anything. But you've got to have people who can stay calm and think on their feet. Like Joseph or Ludmilla. Or Andrew. Me, I tend to forget everything else except what I'm doing with my own spear. It won't work."

Julius resolved the problem by proposing the title of Sergeant Major. His proposal was adopted by acclaim, and Jens was unanimously elected.

In private, after the meeting was over, Julius remarked:

"I don't really understand why Joseph made his proposal. About the Captain and the Lieutenants not being voting members of the council."

"He's very shrewd, Julius. I hadn't thought of the idea myself, but it's a good one. It allows the colony to elect the people they feel most confident holding the military positions, without automatically imposing the military chain of command onto the colony as a whole."

"Still, I would have thought they'd want Joseph on the council, as a voting member. As the leader of the council, actually." He chuckled. "'Admiral of the Ocean Sea' Adekunle."

Indira shook her head. "I'm afraid the youngsters are seeing the picture more clearly than we are, Julius. They're expecting the military structure to be the dominant one."

Julius was surprised. "You mean they think we're going to be another Sparta?"

Indira shook her head again. "I doubt if they remember much of what I taught them about the ancient Greeks. And I mainly concentrated on Athens, anyway. Besides, the Spartan analogy's inaccurate. The military structure of Spartan society was shaped by the necessity of holding down the helot class that did all the actual work. It wasn't just militarist, it was class-ridden and highly oppressive. Our colony doesn't resemble that in the slightest. No, the structure's more like that of the Zulus, except it's democratic. Or the early Romans. That's probably a better analogy."

"Well, that's a relief." Then, after gazing at her for a few minutes:

"I notice that you don't seem too relieved. Why?"

"What? Oh, sorry. I'm-" She paused, heaved a sigh. "I am afraid, Julius."

"Of what? That we'll survive?"

"No, not that." A humorless chuckle. "Human beings have always been quite good at surviving. No, I'm worried about the future. What'll become of this little society we've built, after we're gone."

"We seem to be off to a good start. They're nice kids, Indira. Not a tyrant in the lot. And if there were, the rest of them wouldn't tolerate it. If I say so myself, we've raised them with good ideas."

Indira shook her head. "That means nothing, Julius. Or almost nothing. The forces that shape history have their roots in the most basic conditions of social and economic life. Good ideas are like the morning dew in the face of those forces."