Ash: Rise of the Republic by Campbell Paul Young Page A

the
University can outfit five hundred without much trouble, plus a
couple of Bradleys if we can keep the diesel flowing. The new ammo
plant was running strong when we left, bullets shouldn't be a
problem."
    "Where is all this sudden aggression coming
from? It's been years since we've had more than an occasional raid
on the farms. I had thought all the trade we've opened up with the
towns and settlements had convinced all but the worst of the
outlaws to settle down. There aren't many people starving
anymore."
    "It's more than food they're after. I think
they see us as a threat to their way of life. There are plenty of
bad men who like life to be raw and unpredictable. Hard work and
safety don't appeal to some. This is more than just outlaws raiding
for food and liquor, they're raising an army, they want to tear us
down."
    "But why now, what's changed?"
    "They have a leader. I caught a good glimpse
of him as he ripped the throat out of one of my rangers. Big, bald,
scars on his scalp, half an ear."
    "Werner? He's still alive?"
    "Still alive and leading a small army of
some of the hardest outlaws around. We killed a few of them burned
their den but they didn't even bother to give chase. The one we
questioned told us that the warehouse was a muster point. They’ve
been sending out recruiters to track down all the roaming bands.
They're filtering in from all over the state. Soon we'll have a big
problem. They're in prime real estate, it’s an easy spot to cut our
supply lines."
    "Well," Brian set his half finished drink
down, "We'd better go fill in the Governor before it gets any
later.”
    The pair headed back over to the control
center where the radio was kept. Radio communication had not been
possible until a few years before. The atmospheric scientists at
the University said it had something to do with charged particles
in the atmosphere playing hell with reception. The radio in the
Refinery was one of only a handful in the region. They were
connected by a network of cobbled together relay towers. Most
communication within the Republic and its closest settlements was
done over hardwired telephone lines, but they had yet to run the
cables this far south.
    Oddly enough there were still some
functioning com-satellites in orbit. Occasionally the engineers
picked up some random telemetry with the big dishes on campus, but
they hadn't been able to make any use of the signals yet. The
general consensus was that they were military. There had always
been rumors of functioning military installations scattered
throughout the country, but the Republic hadn't been able to make
contact with any of them over the years.
    Radio reception was usually poor, but when
the operator made contact with the Governor's office, the response
came back mostly free of static. The Captain made his report on the
patrol quickly, sticking to the facts.
    The Governor repeated what Brian had already
told him, the militia was to gather on campus and be ready for
action by the end of the week. Brian detailed the preparations of
the colony and the Houston area allies and requested a supply of
ammunition and medical supplies for his force of volunteers. After
a few minutes of logistics and planning, the Governor ordered the
rangers back to base. He told them to expect air transport in the
morning.
    The Captain was surprised. The Republic had
only two helicopters. The aging machines were difficult to maintain
and irreplaceable, so they were used only in emergencies. That one
was coming to lift his troop back to base showed how serious the
Governor was taking the outlaw threat.
    After signing off, father and son walked
back to the bunkhouse together. Brian sent one of his bodyguards to
inform the rangers of their orders and then the family turned in
for the night, each of them thinking of their parts in the war to
come.
    ****
    They had wanted to give chase, but the Chief had held
them back. Let them go, he had said, let them run scared for once.
So they let them go,