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A CHANGE OF HEART
Robert Davion quickly became attached to the beautiful
world of New Avalon and to the bold, adventurous
people who were settling her. Within a year of his arrival,
he had met and fallen in love with Suzanne Marsin, heiress
to the wealthy Marsins who controlled much of the
iron and steel industry on the planet’s north continent. As
matters began to come to a head on New Avalon in 2237, the
Captain found himself in sympathy with the colonists rather than
with the administrators.
There are many tales of how Robert Davion came to side
with the colonists, the most popular being the one about how he
prevented some marines from abusing a farmer and his family
while trying to confiscate their produce. The plain truth, however,
is that Davion’s decision was cold and calculating. Shortly before
the outbreak of the Grain Rebellion in 2237, Davion became
acquainted with the Sons of New Avalon, the militant underground
group responsible for most of the anti-Terran agitation on the
planet. As a member of the Colonial Liaison staff, he staffed the
First New Avalon Colonial Militia with SNA malcontents to give
them access to marine weapons and equipment on the night
before the raid on Avalon Landing. He also supplied information
that the rebels needed to attack Avalon Landing and to seize the
transports berthed there. Robert Davion deserted his post at the
Residency six hours before the outbreak of the Rebellion, and is
believed to have acted as a military advisor to the rebels when
they began their siege of the Residency.
DAVION TO THE RESCUE
Robert Davion’s part in the Grain Rebellion is
probably best seen in the incident that first brought
him fame on his adopted pianet. It was a deed
that might never have been noticed were this not
a time when our patriotic Sons of New Avalon felt
little trust for offworlders.
Riding native Terran horses like the Hussars of old,
Davion and a brace of other young officers on patrol came
upon a farm where the Colonial tax collectors were harassing
a poor farmer named Koliak. They had already
confiscated Koliak’s crops for export to Terra and were
beating up the protesting Koliak when Davion and his men
arrived.
The chief tax collector called out to the three officers
to join the fun. “I see you have a whip there, Captain,” the
villain called out, pointing to Davion’s riding crop. “in the
name of the rightful Terran government, 1 command you
to thrash this fool and teach him a lesson about resisting
our power!”
Davion said not a word, but sat nearly motionless in
the saddle. The only sound was the restless stamping of
the horse’s feet. The tax collector repeated his order.
Slowly, Davion dismounted, and the other two officers
did the same. None of them bothered to tie their horses,
which remained standing in perfect formation. Although
Davion stood at least six inches shorter than the tax collector,
he raised his crop and lashed him three times, once
quickly across each cheek and a third time across the
back of the head as the man ducked.
No one else moved for a moment, because Davion’s
action was as surprising as it was dramatic. Then the tax
collector’s minions took to their heels, running away and
leaving their horses for the officers and Koliak. During the
entire encounter, Robert Davion never spoke a word.
—From Glory Days: Early Independence from Terra,
by Justin Frederick Pullea, Davion Historical
Press, 2820
Much nonsense has been written about Robert
Davion’s “rebellion” during the real Rebellion of 2237.
Though his courage during that time is undisputed, the
truth about his motives is somewhat murkier.
Take, for example, his famous “rescue” of a New
Avalonian grain farmer from the clutches of Terran Marine
tax collectors. He was riding with two ranking members of
the Sons of New Avalon, who were sure to report the incident
to their superiors and thus establish his credibility as
a sympathizer with the group. Moreover, the act of provoking
the Colonial Government at that point was sure to
spark new rebellion elsewhere, which could only benefit
Robert’s political ambitions.
More to the point, historians overlook the fact that
Davion and his two confederates had ridden all day with
inadequate provisions, trusting to the generosity of any
farmers they might encounter on their patrol. Indeed,
Mikhail Koliak treated them to a fine feast that day after
the thrashing Robert Davion had given the tax collector.
—From Truth or History: Lies Our Forefathers Told
Us, by Trudi Simms, NAIS Press, 3021