Chapter 7: THE CARDS ON THE TABLE

Their names are Wadus and Stephanie Chance. Better known, as Slim Chance and None. Stephanie, AKA None, is young, recently turned fifteen, and an expectant mother-to-be nearly as long as she has been married. Linda likes the young woman and the couple.

She invited them to lunch with her, and Wati, in the Capitol’s commissary. None would have none of it. Insists they eat at her house. Insists upon preparing a home cooked meal for them herself.

Linda doesn’t recall for certain, but believes this is the first lamb she’s ever eaten. Stephanie created a stew, with cut up chunks from a leg of lamb, and such vegetables as she has on hand. A reasonably close approximation of Isi’s mountain sheep stew eaten and enjoyed at Yellowstone. The greatest compliment a cook can receive, is requests for second helpings. Linda eats three large bowls full. Wati only two.

Wati is introduced as a Mexican foreign ally, and only an observer.

Slim Chance is, or was, Commissioner of Power, appointed by deposed Ex-president Abbot. The Empress’s puppet government pretending to be a restored United States, is defunct and vacated.

On a reality note, the power grid, hydro-electric dams, solar and wind-power fields, and a few atomic power plants, all remain real. All or most are functional, and all need continued maintenance attention. Slim has one hundred Dan-nos, retrained as electricians, in the field.

A patriot, an unpaid volunteer called Cowboy, supervises the teams of electrical repairmen and linemen, throughout the ‘Lower Forty Eight’. Linda hopes she has an opportunity to meet him someday.

Linda begs Slim to keep up the good work. For the benefit of all.

Slim laments that as Stephanie’s time of travail draws near, so will the time she can devote to running the Commissioner’s office draw to a close. While Slim retains the title, None has done the actual work of his office, alone for several months. Slim was pressed by Abbot, to negotiate concessions with the Tribes. The Indians wish to reclaim the west. All of it. Their demands are backed by thinly veiled threats of rampage. Slim has been completely absorbed by this task.

Over coffees after the meal, when everybody is relaxed and beyond comfortably full, the formality totally dissolves. The laughter shared are the great thawing agent.

Stephanie asks Wati about his curious costume.

Wati apologizes for flying, or wearing, false colors. His masquerade costume is intended as a passive defense in the event of a battle. Wati is not entitled to wear the priest’s collar, or the stethoscope hung about his neck. Nor the long white lab coat with the caduceus on the breast. All is misdirection. He isn’t any sort of doctor, and not clergy either. The stenciled human silhouette target on his back, surrounded by a thick ringed orange circle and diagonally crossed by an orange bar, is his right to wear. He is non-combatant and NOT a valid target.

His good humored making fun of his desire to avoid being shot, charms everyone and earns him much laughter. Then it’s Stephanie’s turn. She tells tales on her self about disastrous meals she ruined while learning to cook. Slim pokes fun at his records and filing system, giving credit to Stephanie for cleaning the mess up.

As a head of State, Linda is excused from being an object of fun and self ridicule. She does propose in a joking manner, she should order up a complete series of clones of each of them, to assist her in running a small nation, called Florida. Not exactly small, Florida is actually larger than Italy and many other former nations.

Her manner of proposing, is in jest, but her intent is quite serious. When they laughingly give their consent, warning her, she will deserve all the problems their clones will create for her, she laughs with them. In her heart, she already intends to order made the clones she tricked them into permitting.

She seeds the idea, that not only the Power Commissioners office could be run by a None clone, but with her innate organization skills, additional copies of Stephanie could greatly assist the new monarchs of the West. A gleam in Stephanie’s eye makes Linda feel assured her seed has fallen on fertile ground.

Linda, with Wat’s earnest endorsement, offers to meet with the Tribal council, if His august majesty, King Slim will allow and approve it. Slim promises to try and arrange a meeting, a PowWow, before Linda departs.

They also discuss an accounting of how many Dan-nos they know of and where they’re located. Stephanie makes notes. She also contributes her suspicion, Skeet’s friend Olé, probably has most of the missing Dans and the Empress herself, the rest. Or, vice versa.

Linda feels reassured, her chances of straightening out this administrative nightmare, now has a slim chance of success.

A phone call to Skeet’s home doesn’t elicit a phone number for Olé. Skeet isn’t the least tempted to give out his number without Olé’s permission. She does promise to contact Olé, and suggest he call.

Skeet wants to talk privately with Stephanie. Slim suggests the rest get some air, and they go outside to breathe in and enjoy the cool night air in Slim’s minuscule front yard. All is peaceful until Erik happens by.