Chapter 6: Minutemen and Rangers

"So, Jake, what's up that you can't say in front of Mimi and Sammy?"

"It was big of you to let your niece to stay."

"Jake."

"Texas has joined in an alliance with the United States government. The Cheyenne Governmet does not know for certain who brought the bomb to Texas, but I was warned before we left that even though they haven't taken action against Jericho yet, it's only a matter of time."

"And if they were to decide that our town was a center of resistence again..."

"And our group of Rangers wouldn't stand a chance against trained soldiers with unlimied weapons and manpower. What do we do?"

"We can either abandon our homes and flee for Texas, or we can lay low. Emily was talking about the 'minutemen' from the Revolution."

"What are you saying?"

"While in daylight we are responsible citizens of the Allied States of America. By night we do things that disrupt their military efforts against Texas and the US."

"How?"

"Hawkings was thinking of dismantling factories, disrupting shipments."

"That's all and good. But what about the people." Mimi said from behind them. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

"That's okay, what were you thinking of doing?"

"I was thinking about a quote from college, 'the greatest tool of oppressors are the mind of the oppressed.' We need to initiate a massive grassroots effort. Educate people on the realities of this new government, write underground newspapers, pamphlets, books. I think that if we want to improve the lives of people, we need to start with the mind."

Jake smiled, "I knew there was a reason you got audited, Stanley. Mimi, why don't you get together with my mom and Emily. Em was talking about buildng a printing press. We need to find a place where a printing press would fit, and the extra people and power we'd need to run it wouldn't be conspictuous."

"The turbines, they're still in my old barn, would they notice if we used them?" Stanley asked.

"Your well is close to your old barn, the one your grandfather used until the new tractor equipment was too big to fit?"

"Yes, if we put up a turbine, we could explain to any curious government officials that it is used to power our plumbing since the attacks. It saves us on having to pay an electric bill. I am in huge debt with the government after all. But how will we be able to have the people who run the printing press come and go without drawing suspicion? My farm is a little out of the way."

Mimi smiled, "Why do we have to hide the fact that we have a printing press in town? The press will be a town co-op, run by the wind turbine. During the day we'll print a local newspaper with innocet news, maybe some fiction or poems. At night we'll print a byweekly pamphlet printing news of the war, the truth of the government. Pass them town to town, person to person. If they won't give us the free presses, we'll have to take it back. Who knows, maybe other towns will follow suit."

"Aunt Mimi, I'm hungry," the dark haired girl called from the porch.

Jake laughed, "You heard the little lady, let's eat."

Writing underground pamphlets was a small thing, but it was a way to get mind's back from this corupt government. It was a start."

TBC..

I know, writing newspapers are not as exciting as great battles, but I think that it's more productve.