The Song of Mawu. Jeff Edwards

by rank had trailed a short distance behind the others as they had made their inspection of the facilities. He had heard the Sontar workers whispering behind the group’s back and seen the men spitting in disgust when they thought Francis Bollan could not see. He had no doubt that if Bollan visited the refugee camp without sufficient guards his life would certainly be at risk.

      ‘Well President Bollan, have you selected where you wish to set up your new home?’ asked Joseph Lattua.

      ‘I thought I’d be taking over the whole area.’

      ‘Oh no. A major portion of the camp is to be the new headquarters for The Grand Army of Namola. We’ll have one of our regiments stationed here. You’ll be able to share the facilities while you build your own compound, but our army will control what’s here now.’

      ‘Then why would I want to spend more money building a home? I’m quite comfortable where I am.’

      ‘You said it yourself. You’ll be close to your people and close to the border of your country. You need to be here,’ said Joseph Lattua with an ingratiating smile. ‘All we need do now is to agree on a suitable rent payment.’

      ***

      Later that day the group broke up and went their separate ways.

      After considering the many arguments as to why he should move to the country, Francis Bollan was satisfied. Despite the exorbitant rent he was being asked to pay, he would now have a suitable base from which he could launch his strikes on the Hansa across the border.

      General Lattua was happy too. He had come to an agreement with Bollan and was about to be paid to supply Francis Bollan’s new army with weapons and to help train them.

      President Joseph Lattua, with a year’s pre-paid rent in his pocket was well on his way to purchasing his private jet, and he looked forward to returning to his office where he could search the internet for a plane that would satisfy his needs. His only immediate problem was that there was no one in his country with the training to fly such a modern aircraft. Still, he thought, that shouldn’t prove to be a major obstacle. I can always hire a crew.

      ***

      As he climbed into his car to make his way home, Governor Trong was the only one who was disappointed with the day’s outcome. He had attended the meeting in the hope of finding a way to increase his own income from both the refugees and from having half the country’s army stationed permanently in his province. However, nothing of the sort had taken place.

      Everyone else at the meeting stood to gain but him, and to make matters worse the provinces sudden increase in population had placed an increasing burden on Victoria’s infrastructure. This burden was growing larger every day. Already the overworked public service was falling apart at the seams, while lack of maintenance, and no sign of the extra money needed to make the necessary repairs, meant that important items like the province’s roads were a disaster. The governor could clearly see that the province’s problems would continue well into the future.

      A more enlightened and far sighted man would have recognised that if a relatively small injection of funds could turn a desert into an oasis as had been done in Ashloko, then other such nearby valleys could also be brought to bear fruit.

      Unfortunately, Governor Trong was a venal man with a narrow view of his world. All he could think about was where to find the money to pay the tax levy that President Lattua insisted upon each quarter and the consequences for him if he failed to to so.

      His driver swerved to avoid a herd of goats who were munching on the meagre strands of grass that grew along the side of the pothole riddled ‘highway.’ The sudden lurch caused Trong to hit his head on his side window and he swore loudly, more out of frustration than pain, and cursed his bad luck.

      9

      Deep below The Fund’s headquarters, Eliza pushed herself away from the computer screen and picked up an internal phone line.

      ‘It’s all done.’

      ‘On both?’

      ‘Yes.’

      ‘We’ll be down.’

      While she waited, Eliza began tidying up the piles of Beta video tapes which littered the underground office. Initially, she had placed them in the order that they appeared in Jade Green’s listings. However, when copying the contents of each video into the computer she had given each recording a file name that included date and subject’s name, thereby negating the need for a separate journal listing. Now all that would be required to locate a particular item was to know who was in it, or the date when the video was recorded.

      As she worked, Eliza kept an eye on the second computer, as it copied the contents of the first. When that second copy was done, she switched off the computer and unplugged it from the power point, before unscrewing the side panel and removing the hard drive completely. Taking a new hard drive from her desk drawer she inserted it and screwed the computer closed.

      As she was doing so the office door opened and the members of the board entered.

      ‘All done?’ asked Justine.

      ‘Just finished.’

      ‘Well what now?’ asked Suzie.

      ‘The computer stays locked away in a special safe here in the basement,’ explained Eliza. ‘Normal security won’t apply. Three of us have to use their passes on the door’s pad before it will open and the same three have to enter their security code into the computer before it will work.’

      ‘What if someone without authorisation breaks into the room and tries to access the computer?’ asked Nori.

      Eliza looked at the directors with a grim expression. ‘If that happens the computer is programmed to immediately radiate an electro-magnetic current which will instantly destroy whatever information is on the hard drive. It’s not like a regular programme where you get three chances to insert the right password, this is once only, and instantaneous if you get it wrong.’

      ‘What then?’ asked Lana.

      Eliza picked up the second hard drive which lay on the desk. ‘This is the only back-up. We need to agree on where to store it.’

      ‘Nowhere around here,’ said Brian. ‘It needs to be as far away as possible.’

      ‘How about we send it overseas,’ said Toby. ‘We could ask Jade’s friend Trudy in New York to look after it.’

      ‘A good idea, but I’m afraid she’s getting a little too old for us to have to rely on her. I think we should put it in the vault in Jersey.’

      ‘But The Fund owns the bank there. Wouldn’t that make it a target for someone looking for it?’ asked Ali.

      ‘Don’t worry.’ said Eliza. ‘This drive has to be inserted in exactly the same model of computer as the one it came out of. It’s programmed to wipe itself if it’s placed in anything different.’

      ‘But how will we know what sort of computer that is?’ asked Toby.

      ‘We have one here,’ she pointed to the second machine on the table. ‘I suggest it be taken apart and its components stored in the vault below our London office. Then the body will be in one place and the brain another.’

      The idea was simple enough to appeal to them all and a chorus of agreement greeted her suggestion.

      ‘Another thing,’ continued Eliza. ‘The computers are to be left turned off and disconnected from it’s power source at all times, and never, I repeat never, are they to be networked with any other computer and especially not connected to the internet. They are only to be turned on for one use and one use only and that is to review and possibly download the contents of the hard drive. Do I make myself absolutely clear on that?’

      The directors nodded.

      ‘Well then, let’s make plans to get me back to my people in Namola.’

      10