“We will… do… something.” Rikki-Tikki-Tavi finally entered their discussion.
“What?” Tyson asked.
“To be precise,” Rikki corrected himself, “I will do something.”
“You’ll need some help,” Tyson offered.
Rikki shook his head. “No. Thank you. This is a matter I must deal with personally.”
“Rikki,” Plato said, drawing his attention, “will you permit me to talk to Napoleon first, to dissuade him from his foolishness?”
“No,” Rikki answered, denying the request.
“What if I insist?”
Rikki thoughtfully stared at the katana in his lap. “Tell me if I’m wrong,” he said, “but I do believe our Founder left certain guidelines concerning times of danger. Under normal conditions, in typical circumstances, the Family Leader has full charge of all affairs. But, in times of imminent danger, when the Family is being threatened, Family leadership is temporarily transferred to the Warriors. Specifically, the head of the Warriors. Am I right in this?”
“You are,” Plato confirmed.
“And,” Rikki said, continuing his reasoning, “since Alpha Triad is gone, am I not in charge of the Warriors?”
“You are,” Plato said, again affirming the obvious.
“Then I may decide how best to deal with Napoleon, may I not?” Rikki queried.
Plato sadly nodded.
“You’re going to take them on all by yourself?” Tyson asked, his skepticism showing.
“I will do what is necessary to eliminate Napoleon’s threat to the Family,” Rikki said sternly.
“You could get some of the other Warriors to help you,” Jenny recommended.
“No.”
“What about your Triad?” Jenny suggested. “Yama and Teucer could back you up.”
“No.”
“Why not?” Jenny demanded, peeved. “It’s stupid to face them all by yourself.”
Rikki looked into Jenny’s eyes. “The fewer who know about this, the better. We will keep this to ourselves.”
“What do you want us to do?” Cindy inquired.
“You will go about your daily routine as if nothing out of the ordinary has transpired,” Rikki quietly directed. “I will guard Plato tonight and ensure his safety. Tomorrow, the issue will be decided. Permanently.”
“I think you’re nuts,” Tyson remarked.
Rikki disregarded the comment. “You must all leave now. Napoleon or one of the others may be watching us, and they might become suspicious if we spend too much time here. Remember,” he warned them, “not a word to anyone else. This is strictly between ourselves. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” Tyson said.
“Okay,” said Cindy.
“Fine,” Jenny stated.
They rose and departed, each walking off in a different direction.
“You did not agree,” Rikki commented, glancing at Plato.
“Was it necessary? You know I wouldn’t tell another soul.”
“Why are you so sad?” Rikki probed. “You know what must be done.”
Plato sighed and gazed into the distance, his features mirroring his melancholy. “The knowing doesn’t make the doing any easier to take. Do you realize the implications? If Napoleon is so dissatisfied with the status quo, there may be others. If not now, then later.”
“I don’t see how you can prevent it,” Rikki observed.
“But don’t you see?” Plato stared at the Warrior. “Perhaps the fault isn’t in Napoleon, perhaps it’s in our system. Kurt Carpenter meticulously established the Family organization and set forth our rules and regulations. His legacy has sufficed for one hundred years, maintaining harmony in the Family and ensuring our success as a functional unit. But what if there is a flaw in our system? What if we failed Napoleon in some way? Maybe we overlooked some aspect of his education or personal development. Maybe there is something we can do to prevent another Napoleon from arising in the future.”
Rikki, touched by the Leader’s distress, tried to reassure Plato with a broad smile. “There is nothing you could have done. Look at the Trolls.
Some people can not be helped, no matter what you do. It was inevitable, I suppose, someone would come along to challenge the Family order. You should view it as a tribute to our Founder the challenge was a century in coming. It shows how well Carpenter did, the wisdom the man possessed.”
Plato grinned slightly. “Looking at the positive side.”
“Just as one of my teachers always advocated,” Rikki said.
The Family school was taught by the Elders, and Plato was responsible for several of the classes.
“Will you come tell me when it’s over?” Plato requested.
“Of course.”
“I think I’ll retire to my cabin,” Plato remarked, slowly, painfully, rising to his feet. “Nadine will be worried if I stay out too late.”
“I will follow shortly,” Rikki promised. “You needn’t fear for your safety. I will be outside, guarding you tonight. But lock your doors, just as an added precaution.”
Plato fondly glanced at Rikki. “Thank you. I know I’m in good hands. Blade thinks very highly of your skill.”
“He told me, you know.”
Plato, about to leave, stopped in midturn. “What?”
“Blade told me about a power-monger in the Family. He didn’t know who it was, because you hadn’t told him.”
“But I instructed him to keep the information to himself,” Plato said, surprised. “And he told you?”
“He wanted someone aware of the situation,” Rikki explained. “He needed me to keep an eye on things until he returned.”
Plato absently nodded and walked away. Blade had deliberately disobeyed him! Incredible! It had never happened before. And yet, it made sense, didn’t it? Blade was thinking of the welfare of the Family. Just as a future Leader should.
A sharp cramp rocked his left side and he stopped, waiting for the pain to subside.
His body was falling apart at the seams, and his mind apparently wasn’t faring much better. He’d jeopardized the entire Family because of an emotional reluctance to harm one Family member. What had happened to his judgment?
It was time to seriously consider retirement.
The spasm eased and Plato resumed his trek.
If Alpha Triad failed to return with the equipment they needed to isolate the cause of the senility, he would relinquish his command to Blade. Oh, the Family would need to vote their acceptance, but never in the Family’s history had they refused to accept a Leader’s chosen successor.
How much longer did he have?
Plato shuffled homeward, troubled by the question, one he’d avoided until now. The premature senility was a progressive disease, exhibiting distinct stages, and he knew he was entering the advanced state of senility.
It was just a matter of time.
And the irony of it all!
After all those years of being alone, without his beloved Nadine!
And now, she was home, rescued by Alpha Triad from the Trolls.
Together again, at last, for a few fleeting months before he passed on to the other side.
Plato paused and glanced up at the darkening sky, spotting several pinpoints of light, the first visible stars.
The Family records revealed Family members were living shorter and shorter lives with each passing generation. Not every member experienced a reduced lifespan and suffered the attendant premature senility, but in the past two decades the number had increased dramatically.
Why?
Why? Why? Why? Why?
For the umpteenth time, Plato mentally screamed at the heavens, berating their fate. To have survived the Big Blast, to have perservered for a century despite the constant threat from clouds and mutates and other hostile forces, only to be gradually eliminated from the face of the earth by a mysterious disease, was positively frustrating, not to mention a profoundly inequitable destiny.