Chapter 11

They traveled from Galveston to Frankville by steamship. It went a lot faster than the overland route. Two weeks was nothing, here. The land route would have been more like two months. By the time the group arrived, Jenny was looking fairly rough around the edges. Will had told his other wives how she had saved his bacon, and they thanked her until she couldn't walk straight.

Will met with the representatives, and expressed his appreciation of the vote to accept the Constitution, as written. The limited power of the central government had been the most important issue. The fact that the five percent national sales tax was the only source of revenue, would help insure it stayed that way. The only way to increase it was by ballot, and it required a seventy-five percent 'yes' vote.

The only laws the federal government could enforce were the ones stated in the Bill of Rights. This document was much like its namesake, though written without any attempt at flowery language.

The responsibility of the federal government consisted of providing for the common defense, treaties, trade, and mediation between the three territories. All other functions were strictly up to the regional and local authorities. The federal government didn't actually have that much to do with trade. They would enforce the restrictions placed on it, however. No weapons or new technology were to leave the country without approval.

Will also learned of the developments that had occurred during his journey. The new army was able to take territory at will, and the combined Native forces were almost as successful. The problem was, they were taking land that they didn't necessarily want. There was now a five hundred mile buffer zone between the remaining Vespucci forces, and theirs.

A halt had been called at that point, and a message sent to the leadership of the opposing forces.

It stated:

"By now, it should be clear to you that you can not win this war. All land occupied by our forces will remain a part of Westphalia. It is up to you, as to how much more territory you will lose to us. We did not want this war; but if forced, we will win it, and end it. You are being given the opportunity to sue for peace, now. We would suggest you do this, while you still have a country."

Signed,

General Ambrose Honeycutt, Combined Westphalia Forces.

Will liked it. The message was short, and to the point. The history teacher part of him was intrigued by the fact that he was not only witnessing history first-hand, he was actually a part of it. The thought that his name might actually appear in textbooks was a bit disturbing, though.

He thought about it on the long ride back home to Olympus, and reached a decision. If history was going to say anything about him, here, he didn't want it to be all about inventing devices to kill people more efficiently. As his wives often reminded him, he was an engineer. That, along with the skills and memories contributed by Carrie and Vicky, could make life here a lot more enjoyable.

Electricity came to mind, first. Hydroelectric power was more than feasible, and so was wind. Medicine was even more important. All of the old illnesses were common, here. Polio, smallpox, influenza, and the rest, were waiting to be conquered. None of them had the knowledge to jump right in and produce it, but they had the next best thing. Will's library could give them all the information needed to figure out the things they didn't know.

Sanitation was another area of concern. Cholera and typhoid were fairly common, and with improvements in that area, might be eradicated. There was so much to do, and so few people that knew how. It was discouraging, to say the least. Will finally did the smart thing, and asked his two fellow travelers if they had a solution.

"Whoa, big guy!" Vicky said, "You need to slow down. Rome wasn't built in a day, and Westphalia isn't any different. What you need, is a university. You need to become a teacher, again. Remember that old proverb about teaching a man to fish?"

"Vicky's right, Will," Carrie agreed. People here aren't stupid, they're ignorant. 'You can't fix stupid', but we sure can fix ignorant. The first thing you need to do, is get every one of your books copied. If anything happens to them, we're screwed. At least there's already a printing press. We should improve it some, but what we have will work for now.

"What we should do first, is the sanitation improvements. Most of the sickness we've seen was caused by contaminated food and water. I think the newspaper would be a good place to start changing that. People listen to you, so if you explain the problem, things will change."

"Most definitely," Vicky added, "and the school will take it from there. Olympus might go down in history as this world's version of Atlantis."

When they got home, they walked right into a parade. In Will's absence, somebody got the bright idea that the state of Coreal needed a Governor. Will might not have run, but he was elected anyway. He was going to protest, but Carrie vetoed him.

"It's perfect!" she told him, "What better way to start a University? It'll actually make things a lot easier, with you as Governor."

"But I don't have time for all that crap!," Will complained.

"Sure you do," Vicky assured him. "Appoint people you trust to do the drudge work, and it won't take much time, at all. Besides, it will give you the authority to get things done!"

"After the war is over," Will sighed. "I guess there's something to be said about having the rest of your life all planned out."

Jenny caught the last statement, and asked "Isn't it over, now? Do you think Vespucci will keep going, with the losses they've had?"

"Yes," Will told her, "because the men making the decision aren't putting their asses on the line. They're sitting all nice and cozy in a city a long way from where their troops are dying. Those men know that if they lose, their power will start to decline pretty fast. Without access to our resources, Vespucci is in bad shape. They have enough coal, but other minerals will be in short supply. The worst part, is food. Most of their grain comes from Westphalia, and I heard we stopped all trade with them."

Will's concern that the leaders of Vespucci wouldn't give up easily, was well founded. This time, the offensive was launched in the north. The People were not as well armed as the regular Westphalia forces. Because of this, and because of the sheer number of the force against them, the People lost ground. The fact that the losses were twenty to one in favor of the defenders seemed to matter little to the attacking generals.

The counter-attack was devastating. An armored division, complete with mortar detachments, was sent to support the People. The biggest problem after that, was what to do with the captives! The only thing Will could compare it to, was 'Desert Storm', from his time. As soon as the opposition saw a tank, they threw down their arms and surrendered.

The war still dragged on for three months. That's when the citizens of Vespucci decided that they had had enough. The ensuing coup was relatively bloodless, and very short. The leadership had lost all control of the military, and had no defense.

The new government immediately sued for peace, and was surprised at the generosity of the terms presented. There were but two demands. The first was the end of slavery in Vespucci, and the second was an immigration policy. No one could move to Westphalia without permission from the territory they were moving to.

The second idea had been Will's. As his first act as Governor, he had set aside large areas of land. These were restricted, and were to contain no permanent settlements. Only hunting, fishing, and temporary camping, were permitted.

His thought was that the tribes, being nomadic, could live there as long as they desired. If they wanted to create permanent settlements, there was plenty of land outside the reserves. The long-term plan was that they would do just that. He envisioned areas much like Chinatown, Greektown, and the rest of the ethnic communities from his past. Hopefully, they would be able to retain their ethnic identity, the way those groups had.

There was another reason for this demand. He didn't want Westphalia to be inundated by immigrants whose sole reason for relocating was that they didn't like the conditions of their homeland. Change has to come from within, and if the majority of people who wanted things to change left, not enough would be left to get the job done.

Will had expected the idea of a university to be met with skepticism, if not outright disdain. He couldn't have been more wrong. The day after the plan was announced, there were more applicants than seats in the classes he had planned. This school would differ quite a bit from those he had been used to teaching. Most of the students in the first classes had very little, if any, formal schooling. Their first two years would be spent getting ready for the next four. Those classes would start immediately, in existing buildings. He was hoping for a few who had enough natural aptitude to be of some help before they graduated.

More than half the applicants were other than white males. Rather than turn people away, the size of the school was enlarged. While there was no lack of students, there were few teachers to choose from. Even before construction had begun, scouting parties were dispatched to do some recruiting.

England, Germany, and other countries from Will's memory existed here. They also had very good (for the time), schools. Will was looking not only for graduates of those schools, but for people with practical experience in their field. The main qualifiers were an open mind, and acceptance of the differences here. They also needed to speak understandable English.

Construction of Olympia University would take two years. In the interim, new ideas would be introduced. The first of these concerned sanitation. Septic systems and indoor plumbing were both big hits, but it took some explaining before the water used was satisfactory. No one had made the connection between water contaminated with animal feces, and sickness, as yet. The newspaper was a big help in educating the population.

Will didn't have much to do with the first changes. He was determined to design a dam. It would be a first for him. He had studied enough of them in college, and even had specifications for several in his books, but hadn't designed one. Vicky and Carrie were a big help in the process. That hadn't been a big surprise, but the input from some others had been.

Jenny and Kate seemed to have a natural flair for math and design. After studying the old plans, they grasped the concepts faster than Will believed possible. Will's other wives were just as busy. Gia, along with her sisters and the other women from Italy, started the first pharmaceutical company. With an occasional assist from Vicky, they were soon turning out several drugs and remedies. Output was high, but Keeping up with orders from outside of Westphalia was still impossible.

It took Will a while to figure out the careers his other wives had decided to pursue. Moonie's choice was easy to see. She had started a grade school in town. Jenny, Becky, and Dominga, were another matter. Everywhere Will went, they were by his side. Not that Will minded, but finally he had to ask why.

"We're here to make sure nothing happens to you, dummy" Becky explained. All these things you're coming up with are mighty important. Most folks like ya. But we figure some, what live in Vespucci, might not care for ya too much. If'n somebody took a notion ta kill you, I don't know what folks 'round here would do."

"Besides," Dominga added, "For some reason, we have grown quite fond of you. We have decided to make sure you do not get away. Jenny has already proven that she can protect you very well. Becky and I are here merely to assist her."

Will made use of his computer, while he still could. It was a wonderful tool, especially with the specialized programs he had installed on it. Unfortunately, if anything went wrong with it, he would be back to pencil and paper. He cursed himself several times for not having a graphic printer. Then again, what would he have needed it for, if not for his unexpected 'journey'?