CHAPTER 14
A new underground facility was planned, excavated, and constructed by the topsiders. Building the facility underground was presented as a way of securing it from attack and minimizing detection. This facility was to be used for manufacturing and prototyping new devices in a controlled environment. This would allow the underground personnel to mix and work with the topside personnel without having to go outside. As the two groups were integrated fully in a working environment the transfer of the training and skills necessary than do more than just assemble the designs of others. It would also house the schools.
All children, free men and slaves alike were given a basic education and the more motivated and gifted people were given advanced education. Advanced Medical and Engineering schools were planned for the new facility to disseminate the information contained in the underground records.
Mass manumission of conquest slaves those not indentured for a crime was one of the first orders of business for the new council.
Prisoners of war could be executed, banished, exiled, or sentenced to a length of time from days to years of indenture to the government. But mechanization had eliminated most of the need for massive manual labor forces, and the occasional need for manual labor could be readily found by settlements not under Sacramento’s rule. This also had the advantage of showing the better life achieved by Sacramento and allowed the recruitment of people and settlements without conquest.
It was decided and ratified that Jace be sent to establish and administer a new settlement for manufacturing steel. Delano was the name that Byron proposed for the settlement. A year After Jace was appointed the governor and had established Delano the steel plant settlement. A contingent of five guild leaders accompanied by fifteen warriors from the Three Rivers settlement asked for an audience with Jace to discuss the operation of guilds in Delano.
Jace was told that if he didn't allow the expansion of the Three Rivers guilds into Delano they could guarantee that he would have problems trying to recruit members as well as his being barred from taking on any work from the surrounding area. Jace calmly reached across the table and taking the dagger he had been playing with during the discussions and thrust it from below the warrior's envoy's jaw up to its hilt in his head. The startled guild leader dropped face first on to the table.
Delano warriors poured into the governor's chambers before any of the Three Rivers warriors accompanying guild envoys could react.
Then Jace said to the remaining envoys, "Unless there are any more threats the remainder of you are free to leave unmolested. But a representative of Sacramento will be arriving in the Three Rivers settlement in thirty days to reorganize the guilds to conform with the standards acceptable to Sacramento. I would advise you to sharpen your trade skills due to the fact that most of you will no longer be running your guilds and having a trade to fall back on is always a good idea."
A few days after the Three Rivers guild envoys had visited Delano a courier was sent to recall Saam from his wander by the council. Upon arriving back at Sacramento Saam was issued a warrant to gather a warrior force sufficient to take control of the Three Rivers settlement by force if necessary. When Saam was recalled he brought with him a report from Cain.
"What does it say?" I asked.
"I don’t know. It is marked 'For council eyes only', but I can tell you it will conflict with Jaces request," he said.
"Well, I guess we should call a council meeting then." I said.
Three hours later, I went by Saam’s quarters to walk to the council meeting with him. At the entrance to the underground I told Saam of the new facility we had planned. I told him that a meeting place for the council was also planned for the building. I also told him of the new council of which he was now a member.
"I’m a member of the council? I thought that ended when Cain and I left the settlement. I don’t know anything about running a settlement," he said.
I just laughed and said, "None of us do, but we can't do much worst than the old council."
We took our seats and the other members of the council entered and sat down. Byron introduced Saam and the three newest council members from the underground. At the meeting we went over the reports from Jace and from Cain.
Cain's report stated a warning about the settlements of the old group that had called itself the Army of the Great Basin. Cain said that they were still operating around the old city ruins. Cain said the he and Saam had stayed for a week in the largest settlement. The Army of the Great Basin no longer showed any evidence of fire arms, but they were starting to venture into the interior valley to the north.