Chapter 2

Sauna had been settled by immigrants (colonists?) about 290 years ago during the great Diaspora (expansion movement). Earth's government had decided that the best way to insure that humanity survived, no matter what calamity should befall the species, was to occupy as many different planets as possible. The discovery of FTL (Faster Than Light) drive 500 years ago had made this possible.

By the time Sauna was found and cleared for human occupation, all of the very desirable planets had been taken, and the marginal planets were the only ones available at no cost to the settlers. The government looked for groups of at least 2,000 initial settlers for a planet to insure an adequate gene pool and provide enough hands to build a working society.

Thus, Sauna was settled by 2,172 "rugged individualists," who the socialist government on Earth was happy to get rid of. Many of these people were virtual anarchists, but it didn't take long for most of them to realize that some sort of government was necessary. They finally settled on a republican form of government, but one with very little authority. Federal authority was generally limited to controlling natural resources to make sure that they were shared reasonably equitably, and to defining the difference between the duel and murder. Other than that, the private citizen was pretty much on his own.

The proof of reincarnation a few centuries before had removed most of the fear of death from the average citizen. Death just meant that a soul had to start over, which was a damned nuisance, but led to a somewhat reckless lifestyle.

Most of the local population banded together into what they called "counties" to provide an infrastructure, such as roads and bridges and air traffic control. Fighting fires and police work was usually done by volunteers, who got paid by the hour. Everybody, male and female, liked to shoot, so there was no shortage of volunteer police when the need arose. Many had formed police or fire fighting clubs who had bought their own equipment and were eager to show what they could do.

Justice was usually dispensed by the equivalent of a town meeting, with those attending the meeting forming the jury. The people were conscientious enough to ensure a fair trial, since who knew if he might not be next to be judged. Most private matters were settled over the barrel of a gun, if it came to that, and never got to "court."

The longevity drugs kept people alive, in good health, and sexually active for 275 to 300 years, so most of the original settlers of Sauna were still around. The population had exploded to over 10,000 people in the first generation, and the planet now boasted over 500,000 people. Even though Sauna was theoretically capable of supporting 4 or 5 billion people, that would require a more restrictive government than most people wanted; fortunately, that decision could wait a few centuries.

The brief history of Sauna had seen a number of interesting developments, including several "civil wars," though these were really more like blood feuds among families than real rebellions against almost nonexistent government. A more serious threat had been the nearly ten years of "bandit wars" which finally ended about 15 years ago, in which war lords had tried to establish themselves. The war lord factions had morphed into what now passed for organized crime on Sauna, but they were not really much of a problem for the average citizen.

Jim was now 20 years old and already looking for a wife, but he had not really liked what Blister had to offer. Therefore, when Jane, who was also looking, dropped in on him, he immediately took her under consideration. However, the question of who was trying to kill her was the more important item on the agenda.

The arrival of the local police club in their helicopter gunship had broken up the raid last night, but it had not provided much useful information. There had been a sharp firefight which Jim had not been able to moderate, and all of the attackers had either been killed or had escaped. With no one alive to question, there was little Jim and Jane could do but wait for the next attack.

After the attack had been beaten off, Jim held an impromptu thank-you-party for the police club which sent them off in a jubilant mood and ready to hop back in if they were ever needed, again. They had only suffered one fatality, so were happy with the bang-up job they had been able to do.

The next morning, after breakfast, Jim and Jane had a council of war. Jim said, "As I see it, you have two obvious options. You can return to the senate where you will be a constant target until whoever it is finally kills you, or you can stay here where you can be fully protected. I'm sure you don't like either choice, but I have a third choice to offer: you could return to the senate and I could go along as your bodyguard. I am a well trained fighter with guns, knives, and my hands, and I seem to have a sixth sense about danger. But the choice is completely yours to make."

Jane pondered his words for only a moment, before speaking, "I agree with the options you mentioned, and I don't like either of the first two, but the third choice really does appeal to me. If you agree, I will hire you as my official bodyguard and put you on the government payroll. That way, you have the right and obligation to go wherever I go, so you can't be barred from committee meetings and such. Between your gun and mine, I should be safe enough to get to the bottom of this plot. Thank you for offering to help."

"I like you and relish the opportunity for the excitement of helping you. Furthermore, I have a vested interest in the successful outcome of your bill. My farm can take care of itself for the next three months. Then I will have to return for two weeks to harvest the soybean crop and prepare the ground for the next planting. Until then, I am at your disposal."

"Wonderful! How soon can you leave?"

"I have a plane on the farm, so we can leave as soon as you like. I'll cheat and not file a flight plan; that way, we may get a jump on the enemy."

"OK. Let's leave as soon as you can pack a bag. Obviously, I don't have much luggage to worry about!"

Jim packed a few clothes and his assault rifle. He planned to wear his pistol and his shotgun. Jane had her pistol she had been wearing when she crashed and Jim loaned her one of his shotguns. They rolled his plane out of the hanger and were airborne in about an hour from the decision to go.

The flight was uneventful and they landed in Heinlein, the capital, with most of the afternoon left. Jane had an apartment withing walking distance of the Senate and she had a spare bedroom, so Jim moved in there. They had eaten a snack during the flight, so they weren't hungry when they got to her place. "I need to pick up some groceries, so here is your opportunity to be my bodyguard and my pack mule," Jane laughed.

"OK, but keep in mind that if there is trouble, I'll drop the packages and something may get broken."

"I'll take that chance."

Heinlein was at its warmest during this season, so they both wore shorts, a tee-shirt, and flip-flops. With their pistols worn cross-draw fashion and their shotguns in carriers on their backs, they looked like any other young couple out for a leisurely stroll. They visited a couple of small neighborhood markets and walked home, each carrying a bag of groceries.

As they were crossing a street, a truck came running through a red light headed straight for them. Jim dropped the bag he was carrying and jerked Jane back by her arm. The truck missed them and rushed on down the street without a pause. Jim growled, "Well, it looks like somebody knows you're back in town!" as he picked up the two sacks of dropped groceries. They hurried away and reached the apartment without further mishap.

"Thank you for saving my life, out there. You've already started earning your money."

"You're welcome, but we've both got to start taking this threat more seriously. That's the last time I carry anything in my hands when I'm guarding you."

"Oh, darn! And I was just getting used to the service!" grinned Jane.

Jim grinned back and they traded cheerful banter as they both worked on supper.

That night, they both went to their separate rooms, and each had trouble getting to sleep for thinking about the other. The sexual atmosphere on Sauna was very permissive because there was a real need to build up the population as soon as possible. Abortion and birth control were simply not available; there was no stigma attached to birth outside of marriage. The man was expected to pay his share for raising the child and he would be up shit creek if he didn't. On the other hand, the woman was expected to do her share, too, so there rarely was a case of infant or child neglect; social pressure was simply too great. But Jim and Jane were simply not far enough along in their relationship to want to go as far as actual sexual intercourse, so they slept in separate rooms.

The next morning, Jane contacted all the members of her committee who were in Heinlein and set up a meeting for that afternoon. They all knew about her adventure with the plane crash and professed concern and relief at her safe escape. She suspected that one or more would really have preferred that she not have survived, but were too good at politics to let it be known.

All but one of the committee members made it to the meeting; that person had been called out of town on personal business that could not be delayed. Oh, well... that happened to everybody at one time or another. Some of the committee members questioned Jim's presence in the meeting, but Jane explained that he was her bodyguard and on the government payroll to protect her, and the only way he could protect her was to stay with her. Objections ceased with that explanation and her tale of her adventures in getting back to Heinlein.

The meeting was mostly about questions of procedure with the bill, but Jim's interest was stirred up by a couple of points on what to do about tapping aquifers. He had several deep wells which did that and he depended on that water for irrigation. Any interference with his wells would put him out of business! He was relieved to learn that there was a "grandfather clause" which protected present users of deep underground water.