Conflict!

by Dale Moorhouse

  Conflict!

  (Tigers in the Night Book 2)

  Feeding the Wolf

  There was and old Cherokee man who was telling stories to some of the children and was answering questions about some of the unrest between the First Peoples and the white man that had occurred the previous year. Some of the children were frightened while others were angry and none felt good about the discord.

  The old grandfather hushed the children and picking the angriest young boy asked him to come and sit with him and said, “I want to tell you about the battle of two wolves.

  “There are two ‘wolves’ that live and battle inside us all. One is evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

  The angry young boy thought about it for a while and asked, “Which wolf wins?”

  The old man replied with a smile, “The one you feed.”

  Gathered from various sources on the internet

  Conflict!

  (Tigers in the Night Book 2)

  Dale Moorhouse

  Missing Lynx

  Press

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, incidents or events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Conflict!

  (Tigers in the Night: Book 2)

  Copyright © 2019 by Missing Lynx Press. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any format, print, or electronic, without permission in writing from the copyright holders.

  ISBN: 978-1-7327420-3-1

  For further information, email:

  dmoorhouseMLP@icloud.com

  Contents

  Conflict!

  Feeding the Wolf

  Main Characters

  —Prologue

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  29

  30

  31

  32

  33

  34

  35

  36

  37

  38

  39

  40

  41

  42

  43

  44

  45

  Epilogue

  Glossary

  Main Characters

  Terrans

  Jason Weatherby (Jase)

  Johnny Townsend

  Elaine Townsend

  George Townsend

  Benjamin A. Townsend (Ben)

  Benjamin R. Townsend (Benji)

  Stanley Miller (Stan)

  Dimitri Raselimov

  Svetlana Raselimov

  Sergei Ivanovich Romanov

  Alexandra Mikhailovna Romanov (Sasha)

  Veronika Sergova Romanov (Roni)

  Sol Rosenblum

  Rachel Rosenblum

  Sonja Rosenblum

  Willem Rosenblum

  Fredericka Baer

  Piotr Baer

  Steven McLeod

  Peter Sandusky

  Squids

  Livid

  Blue Point

  Long Arm

  Mmrrreeowwn

  Ginger

  Tuxedo

  Missy

  Amos

  Grey Cloud

  Bebe

  Grey Stripe

  Squirrel Paws

  Long Tail

  Vanilla

  Peaches

  Rusty

  Chocolate

  Blue

  Cats and Lynxes

  Serena

  Shadow

  Stealth

  Edgar

  Silky

  Sarge

  Weasels

  Ishmael

  Jacky

  Wiley Dark Fang

  Sonja Dark Fang

  Winston

  Sarah White Stripe

  Frederik Longbow

  —Prologue

  Behind Saturn, Early April 2026

  WE RETURNED FROM THE CENTAURI system two cycles ago, and things were already going pear-shaped. My declaration of war had some Mmrrreeowwn noses bent out of shape. While I could understand it from their point of view, they seemed less than willing to accept that it is necessary. The ones who were most upset were those Mmrrreeowwn officers I’d had confrontations with starting with those I’d temporarily tossed in the brig before discharging them from the militia. They had friends, and their friends had friends, and when all was said and done, I had to cashier nearly a third of my Mmrrreeowwn officers. The remaining officers expressed their loyalty to me.

  Many had Terrans in their command and weren’t shy about learning about their men both from the Terrans themselves as well as the Mmrrreeowwn warriors they serve with. This was particularly true in the Centuries where the Terrans and Mmrrreeowwn trained together every day, and many solid friendships had developed out of mutual respect. Tuxedo used his network of Immunae to feel out the warriors, and he concluded that the warriors admire their leaders, whether Terran or Mmrrreeowwn and treat them all with the respect and deference they are due. That respect also flowed downwards, and many officers were not shy about what they thought of their warriors.

  When it was time to replace the cashiered officers I let the men choose their leaders; in the end, I found the mix of Terran and Mmrrreeowwn in the officer corps was more balanced, even in the Naval Arm where most of the cashiered officers served. The rank and file clearly didn’t seem to care about species, they wanted leaders who were competent and who were most likely to keep them alive by making excellent and timely decisions. They admired officers who led from the front and had skin in the game.

  The cycle following the officer swearing-in ceremony I was visited by Elder Three, who is not shy about levelling criticism when he thinks it is due. He said, “I don’t think anyone since the Purge all those kilocycles ago has had the courage or audacity to do what you have done, but it is clear to me your methods resonate with both Terrans and Mmrrreeowwn. I’ve snooped around, and while I don’t hear your praises being sung much, I hear even less criticism. One of the most common things I do hear is how you don’t show a bias towards Terrans, and that is very important to the people who serve under you. That you promote strictly on merit has struck a chord with many of the warriors and naval personnel.

  “On another topic, the Weasels. Learn everything you can about them and the two races they are most friendly with. I have suspected for some time they are more honourable than our information has made them out to be but in any case, be cautious.

  “Last but not least you have been discussing a concept that is new to us. The idea of small ships carried to battle by larger ships and flown in swarms is a concept that has never found favour when it has been proposed by the Weasels. I think a lot of that is an attitude held by some officers that if Mmrrreeowwn or Squids didn’t invent it, it can’t be any good. I think your culture has a phrase for it, ‘not invented here’.”

  I chuckled and said, “Yes, that is abbreviated ‘NIH’ and is a concept I was all too familiar with in a previous life and most often held by those in power who have neve
r had any real-world experience. I saw it in weapons evaluations and even in the selection of personal vehicles. It is a prevalent mindset in the US where they will accept common goods produced locally over excellent products produced elsewhere.”

  After Elder Three left my office, I began digging up everything I could on the Weasels and their friends. I didn’t find much more about the Weasels than I’d already guessed or reasoned out. There was little data on the two races that seem to have the Weasels as patrons, except they are both reptilian and require particular environments to be comfortable or survive. One required arid, warm conditions and is cold blooded. The other species are warm-blooded and liked cool and damp. I decided to try to speak with them next time I met them. For now, I just think of them as Warms and Colds. I’ll make it a point to ask them each for more information about their species and cultures, mainly their names for themselves.

  It will be 5 April in two cycles, and we wanted to be back on schedule. There is much to be done before we depart for Terra, not the least of which is getting Rusty set up in a secure lab to begin his research on the drones we brought back.

  1

  MOTHER OF GLORY ACCOMPANIED BY Mother of Vengeance arrived at Terra a year and a day from her departure. As we settled into a geostationary orbit over the Atlantic, calls went out to our allies on the planet and responses came back within minutes of the hale. The first response was from Canada and the Prime Minister, “Welcome back Jase. Have you talked to our friends to the South yet?”

  “No, but the pickets we left behind reported their activities to us as they happened. You will be pleased to know all and I mean all of their armed satellites have been booby-trapped. Any attempt to fire their weapons will result in the weapons being redirected towards their communications and navigation birds. Any attempt to fire ground-based nuclear weapons will result in the warhead’s destruction at launch. Our pickets weren’t idle while we were gone, and didn’t pick on the US alone. We have done the same to all other states possessing similarly armed satellites and/or nuclear-tipped weapons. Short ranged missiles like those in the Middle East and smaller states in Asia will simply detonate on their launchers. The same is true for any missile equipped with chemical or biological warheads—a country that launches them will have to deal with the fruit of its folly.”

  “That is pleasing to hear, Jase but alarming as well. Have you informed any of those states of these actions?”

  “No, sir, not yet. I want to get a read on the world first before I drop this on them. I’m sure the little Korean fat-boy will go nuts, but I’m not sure about any of the others yet.”

  “When will you be coming down? We have much to discuss, and now that you are back, we would like to host another meeting. Our security is so much better now with the shielding capability, and Ottawa hasn’t been the same since you all pulled back. Besides, we have over twenty-thousand immigrants waiting here for their chance to go to the stars.”

  “Well, Mr Prime Minister, I have a bunch more calls to return, but as soon as I’m done, I’ll get back to you. In the meantime, we can send down some shuttles and take the immigrants off your hands. Have they all been pre-screened?”

  “Yes, we already sent back a few thousand who didn’t pass, and we have a database with all of their biometric info waiting for you in the event they try again somewhere else. If you give me an address, I’ll have it sent to you straight away.

  “I want to invite you to come up for a day or two and bring your wife and family. We have much to show you, and I think you may want the information we have before any global meetings are held. Perhaps you can just bring it with you, eh?”

  “Jase, I’d love that opportunity. Let me know when and we will make ourselves available.”

  “How about we come down tomorrow to pick you up? Let me know how many to expect so I can have quarters set up for you.”

  “That works well for us, it will just be me, my wife and our youngest daughter. I’m free until next Monday, so if our talks take more than two days, there is always the weekend.”

  “That sounds like a date Mr Prime Minister. We’ll be down at 0900 Lima on the apron by the Peace Tower.”

  “We’ll be there Jase. My wife is looking forward to speaking with Elaine, and my daughter wants to meet your cats. Talk to you soon, ‘bye for now.”

  A couple of centas later I got a comm from Stan, “Jase, I just got off a call from the President of the US. He sounds anxious and needs to speak with you, it might be in our best interest to hear what he has to say.”

  “Ok, Stan,” I’ll call him now. “Do you have a number for me?

  “Stan, on another topic, I’ve invited the Canadian PM up for a visit, and he is bringing his wife and daughter. I want to give him a full briefing and then introduce him to the Terran Council. Hopefully, you and a few of the council can attend the talks.”

  “Actually Jase, tomorrow is fine, the council isn’t very busy right now, but in a few cycles, they will be when they hear from their friends on Terra. This will give them something to do that can benefit everyone.”

  Stan and Dimitri formed the Terran Council to help Terrans adjust to their new life. It also advised the Mmrrreeowwn when they had to deal with problems involving Terrans and Terran behaviour.

  A few ticks later, I got the contact number for POTUS and called it. After a few pleasantries, he got right to the point, “Jase, the legislative branch has gone rogue here; both houses have gathered enough votes to override my vetoes on almost every piece of legislation presented to me. They’ve passed some very disturbing laws, many of them concern the Mmrrreeowwn.

  “The Senate has hired military contractors to circumvent the Posse Comitatus Act. The naval and marine forces at both locations have been reassigned, and the contractors are now in charge. My family and I are virtually prisoners now. We are restricted to the White House grounds or Camp David. My son and daughters are being kept there with their families ostensibly for protection after a trumped-up story about threats to my family were leaked to the press. They are really hostages to ensure my behaviour. To make matters even worse, my predecessor, Lauren Smith, will be resuming office in another week.

  “I know our last conversation ended on a sour note, but I could use your help, not for my wife and me but for our kids and grandkids.”

  “Sorry to hear of your troubles. How is it you are being allowed to contact me, Mr President?”

  “The last time we travelled to Camp David one of the last marine officers to depart gave me his phone. He was escorting me from the helo and slipped it in my pocket. He told me not to use it unless I was sure I could get outside help. I’m hoping you are that help, Jase.”

  “Are you going back to Camp David this weekend? If not, can you make it so?”

  “Yes, we are supposed to go there Friday night.”

  “Good,” I said, “I’ll text you instructions as soon as I get a plan together. It will be no more than two hours before your planned extraction so be prepared. Meanwhile, turn off the phone and remove the battery or SIM card so it can’t be tracked. Put it back together at 2200 hours Saturday night and wait for my text.” With that, I commed off.

  I commed Johnny and asked him to set up full surveillance of Camp David then come talk to me. I commed Ben and George conferencing them in with Bebe and Tuxedo and filled them in on what was going on.

  Tuxedo asked, “Does this mean a raid of some kind?”

  “Yes, Tux, it does. I need Bebe and you to put a team together for an extraction mission. We need to grab between eight and twelve people from a guarded compound outside Washington DC. There must be no bloodshed on this mission, and there will be a few children present. Talk it over amongst yourselves and come up with a plan that is quick, quiet and has a high probability of success then get back to me, tomorrow morning is soon enough.

  “George, Ben, I need you here to discuss your Elsies’ capabilities, when can we meet?”

  Ben spoke up, “We have some training iss
ues to review with our squadrons that will take a deca. We can be there right after lunch.”

  “Super,” I said, “I’ll see you then.”

  Johnny’s duty station was transferred to Terran Headquarters, and all of his people were relocated there as well. Their offices were on the sixth floor in the diagonally opposite corner from mine. He showed up right after I finished with Ben and George. “What’s going on, Jase?”

  “I thought it might be something like that,” he responded after I briefed him. “I’ve got two of my best on the surveillance. We dropped a couple of small drones from a stealthy Elsie, and we are getting a good, clear feed from both. Luckily there are plenty of trees nearby for them to roost in during the day with good views of the buildings where there is activity. We saw a young woman and child walking with an armed guard just before I came over. The building they are housed in is our main target, eh?”

  “You hit the nail squarely on the head. We have between eight and twelve civilians including POTUS and FLOTUS that we need to extract, probably Saturday night or early Sunday morning. I need to know how many guards are present at any one time at each hour of the day and when they change shifts. I would also like as many close-ups of individual guards as you can get in the next forty-eight hours and their identities, home addresses, family status—the full boogey. I want as much leverage as I can get.”

  “My guys thought that might be the case and they are dispatching more drones as soon as they are built and powered up. We should have them in the area in one to two decas. The weather forecast is for overcast today and tomorrow with clearing overnight to scattered clouds for Saturday and Sunday. We have good cover for low Elsie flights during the day until the clouds break.”

  “Good info to have, Johnny, thanks. I’m beginning to think I may have misjudged Steven McLeod, but I still want to be wary, this could all be a trap.”

  “I was thinking the same thing, so one of my researchers is doing a deep dive on all that has transpired in the US over the last year. I truly hope this is a legitimate request for help, but you are right to be cautious. I’ll head back over and check with my people and let you know if we have any major happenings.”