Chapter 48

0815 hours, local time
Monday, 25 May, 2015
Dubuque County Courthouse
Dubuque, Iowa

“So, the process of reunification is well underway,” Mayor Casper Novak reacted to the latest news about a proposed state convention to draft an interim charter for a unified Iowa Free State under growing Havenite influence.

“To be held here in Dubuque, it seems,” the Prophet David Howard observed.

The war council convened in the courthouse’s vaulted jury room, oak table strewn with reconnaissance photos and intercepted radio transcripts. David Howard’s wives and husbands leaned over the latest reports with the rest of the inner circle. The fact that the women were all nude was something of a recent development, but the men focused on the urgent political and military situation, as they had gotten the orgy out of their system for now and the stakes were high. Women in the local, Havenite elite increasingly favored public nudity as a matter of principle.

“The delegations from each city already want to create a provisional state government with you as Governor, Prophet, to select a temporary cabinet as part of the transition toward reunification,” Tozroman, his demonic companion, informed him.

David Howard traced a finger over the map spread across the table. “Dubuque controls the Mississippi crossings. That gives us leverage. But Cedar Rapids holds the old munitions plants.” His gaze lingered on the strategic points, ignoring the soft shuffle of bare feet as Abigail Novak, the Mayor’s secretary and newest wife, refilled coffee cups. Abigail was fourteen and pregnant, starting ninth grade in the autumn, but with summer vacation, she worked for her powerful husband. Her Mennonite upbringing, while abandoned in favor of Havenism, prepared her to embrace early motherhood.

“As Governor, albeit provisional, you can lay the groundwork for the future state government of Iowa and oversee elections for at least some offices. The state department can be recreated as well, albeit skeletal, of course. It’s the first step toward badly needed unity in the face of threats,” Mayor Novak remarked.

The Prophetess Serena Kurtz Howard, David’s German half-sister and one of his wives, leaned forward abruptly, her pale skin stark against the dark oak table. Her eyes, sharp and analytical, scanned a radio transcript clutched in her hand. “Unity is vital, yes, but we cannot ignore the inferno raging just across the Mississippi,” she stated, her accent clipped and precise. “The Justice Party militia remains entrenched in Cook County. They are launching renewed assaults against the North Illinois Liberation Front positions near the ruins of Chicago. Their desperation grows as Havenite influence spreads; they see Illinois slipping away and are determined to crush any spark of resistance before it ignites. Another attack on Cicero could well lead to its capture by the Justice Party forces.” She tapped the transcript. “Our scouts report they’re mobilizing heavy artillery—former National Guard howitzers, of course —near the outskirts of Cicero.”

The implications hung heavy in the air: Cicero falling would solidify Justice Party control over Chicago’s western approaches, potentially cutting off Havenite supply lines into Illinois and threatening Dubuque itself. The North Illinois Liberation Front was increasingly under Havenite influence, but it was in danger of annihilation before it could be brought into the fold. That was clearly the objective of the fascists in the Justice Party, to eradicate the NILF before its members could turn Havenite and add its strength to the rising new religion.