The Peacekeepers. Books 1 - 3.

by Ricky Sides

  “That sounds fair enough to me, sir,” the captain replied. Then smiling he said, “Sir, with your permission, I’d like to get organized and get the guys moving. It’s getting pretty warm out here.”

  “Permission granted, Captain,” Jim said easily.

  Captain Barnes turned to several men near him and began issuing orders and getting the men organized. The nearest armored personnel carriers were entered and their weapons were unloaded and then men piled inside to ride back north to the far end of the column where they’d begun abandoning their vehicles. In less than an hour, the entire convoy of surviving vehicles was reassembled and the men stood beside their vehicles.

  Tim landed the ship, Jim exited accompanied by Lieutenant Wilcox, and several of his strike force members. Jim approached the captain who saluted and asked if Jim wanted his sidearm. Jim declined that symbolic token of surrender and said, “Let’s examine the crews and then we can get moving.”

  Jim studied the man as they walked back past the convoy examining the crews and the captain verified the characters of each individual crewman. The California Captain was five foot ten with a medium build and wore his brown hair cut short. He appeared to be in his early thirties. He seemed well regarded by the soldiers present. Pausing Jim asked if any of their men had been in the convoy of infantry and light artillery.

  “No, sir, and I’m glad of that, because those men were the worst of the lot. It was them we had fights with on the way here,” the captain replied with an angry gleam in his eyes.

  “A great many of those men are dead. That’s why I asked,” Jim responded.

  “The survivors will be a problem if they remain in the area, sir,” the captain stated. Then he felt compelled to explain and he said, “On the way here we stopped near an orphanage run by missionaries to leave some food for the kids. That was in Oklahoma. Some of my men caught a few of those infantrymen you’re referring to trying to trade candy bars to some of the older girls for sexual favors. My men objected.” Clearing his throat and smiling at the memory he continued, “My men objected strenuously. When the fight was broken up an infantry officer threatened to have my men court-martialed. Since I outranked him, I pulled rank. When he implied I was hiding behind my rank I took off my shirt and advised him to do the same. Ordinarily I’d never hit a subordinate, but that guy was defending what I considered to be sexual molestation. I made an exception in his case. Actually I made several,” the man said and some of his men present laughed at the memory.

  Jim smiled and said, “Captain, I think I like you.”

  “Thank you, sir,” the man said politely, and then he said, “Call me Cliff, please.”

  ***

  The trip back to the base was uneventful. When they arrived at the base, they caused quite a stir despite the fact that Pete had radioed ahead that a convoy of tanks and armored personnel carriers would be arriving with them.

  In the weeks that followed, the three hundred forty-two new recruits entered peacekeeper training and they did quite well at that training. Toward the end of the training, Jim approached Cliff Barnes and asked him if they planned to return to California when their training was completed. Cliff said that he’d been discussing the plans with the men and most did indeed wish to return to their home states and set up peacekeeper outposts there.

  Some of the men of Tom’s former army caused a few problems in the state of Tennessee as they made their way through the state. However, they quickly learned that Tennesseans were a hardy people and they dealt harshly with anyone who got too far out of line. The Tennessee peacekeepers only had to track down and kill one man who’d murdered a man for his vehicle.

  Midway through the training of the western men, Cliff Barnes and several of the other men caught one of their men attempting to send a message over the radio to an unknown recipient. That man was brought before the peacekeeper council along with all of the evidence. Cliff Barnes had found detailed maps of the base defenses as well as a map that depicted the location of key installations such as the ammo dump. There was also a list detailing approximate base personnel strength and the general location of the majority of the base children. There were grid references for all of the locations.

  The council looked at the evidence in alarm and asked if the man had succeeded in transmitting the information. They were informed that he’d been caught attempting to slip into the auxiliary radio room, which the council knew was kept in readiness should they lose the main radio installation. Satisfied that he had not yet managed to betray them to an enemy, the council ordered the man executed. Cliff Barnes executed the man five minutes later. Jim’s instincts had been correct. Most of the men had been sincere in their wish to become peacekeepers, but there was one, who had other motives.

  As for the would-be General Tom Whitmore and his convoy, they dropped out of sight and didn’t cause problems during those weeks. The peacekeeper council assumed that the man was somewhere in South Carolina, but small patrols quietly sent to that state could learn nothing regarding the man and his ambitions.

  Chapter 20

  The day after the western peacekeepers graduated their training the peacekeeper council met with several of the men who’d displayed leadership abilities. Not surprisingly, Cliff Barnes was chief among those men. There was also Bob Giles from Nevada, Gary Nobel from Colorado, Torey Gilliam from Oregon, Peter Wesley from Washington State, and Todd Baxter from Oklahoma.

  The purpose of the meeting was to insure that the men who would be the leaders in their states had a proper understanding of the directives of the peacekeepers. Each of the council members gave a short statement outlining the goals and directives of the peacekeepers. Tim Wilison was the first speaker. What he said was blunt and to the point when he said, “Gentlemen, if you believe that the purpose of the peacekeepers is to restore the United States to its former condition, then you are wrong. That is not our purpose. Our purpose is to keep the peace while others restore America.”

  The men had been informed at the outset of the meeting that they were free to ask questions at any point during the assembly, but to prevent things from degenerating into chaos the council requested that any man with a question please raise his hand. At the end of Tim’s statement, several of the men raised their hands. Cliff Barnes was recognized by the council first, as his hand had been the first to be raised at the end of Tim’s statement.

  “Sir, you say that our job isn’t to restore America, yet the peacekeepers stopped Tom Whitmore from installing a military dictatorship. Does this mean that we are to stop any form of government not identical to that which America enjoyed in the past?” Cliff asked.

  “Now that’s a very good question,” Tim responded. “The short answer is no. Frankly, we doubt that this country can ever be restored to precisely what it once was. But, addressing the military dictatorship, I will say this. History has taught us that there is no such thing as a benign military dictatorship. They invariably abuse human rights, and the slaughter of their opposition is common in such governments. Cutting to the point, we did not oppose Tom Whitmore because he proposed a different form of government. We opposed him because he proposed an abusive, tyrannical form of government.” Pausing Tim asked, “Does this answer your question satisfactorily?”

  “Yes, sir, I understand now. But if I may outline a scenario as a template to follow, that might help avoid problems in the future,” Cliff said.

  “Go ahead,” responded Tim.

  “Let’s say that some cities in our states opt to form the old Greek style city states with each operating independently, in effect forming small kingdoms. Further, let’s say that such city-states are not oppressive and do not prey on their neighbors. In that scenario, do we leave them alone?” Cliff asked.

  “Under that scenario, you do leave them alone, yes. However if they are raiding neighboring cities and killing or otherwise abusing the people there, then peacekeepers would move to stop that depredation,” Tim explained.

  “Thank you, sir,�
� Cliff said. “I think I grasp the concept perimeters now.”

  “You’re more than welcome Cliff. This is why we have these meetings with the men who are to be the leaders in their states,” Tim explained and then asked, “Does anyone else have a question regarding this topic?” No one raised their hands having had their own questions answered by the question and follow-up by Cliff.

  Next Pete spoke to the men saying, “Gentlemen, as you know the peacekeepers have a policy that we do not take prisoners when we battle Marauders. The obvious reasons for this are that we as a nation have no functioning judicial system and no operating prisons. Therefore, if you have to battle Marauders in your areas bear that in mind. Having said that, you need to realize that there are perimeters and guidelines for the use of deadly force. Peacekeepers don’t kill a man caught stealing food to feed his starving family. However if that man killed other people to acquire that food, then his life is forfeit. In the case of men enslaving other men and women, the slavers forfeit their lives. If they should have dependent women and children who are innocent, then of course they are not touched.”

  Pete paused when several hands went up and he recognized Gary Nobel from Colorado. Gary asked, “Sir, what means of execution do we utilize?”

  “A bullet to the back of the head at the earliest possible moment,” Pete replied.

  “And if the Marauder is female?” Gary asked.

  Pete then spoke in candid terms about what had occurred in Eastland Texas. At the end of that dissertation, he said, “So you see it can be a traumatic experience for the peacekeepers involved, but we have sworn to protect the innocent. When women willingly persecute and cause physical harm or death to others, they are as guilty as any man would be. In the final analysis, ask yourself if you would hesitate if the perpetrator were a man instead of a woman. We cannot permit the Marauder’s gender to give them a free pass to torment, or bring about the deaths of others.”

  Two more hands raised and Pete recognized Todd Baxter from Oklahoma. Todd asked, “But if our area has a working judicial system and functioning prison?”

  “Then by all means make use of it if you like,” Pete stated. Then he clarified that statement by saying, “But if the Marauder has killed a peacekeeper, then I would kill the man. Bear in mind that you will be operating with little support at first. It is critical for the lawless element in your area to understand that to attack a peacekeeper will result in their deaths. The peacekeepers have a reputation for dealing harshly with Marauders who dare to attack them. That reputation often causes the lawless elements in a community to reconsider their behavior or leave peacekeeper-protected areas. However if you have a functional judicial system, then things such as witnesses that your killing the man was justified become much more relevant to prevent you from being charged with a crime.”

  “And if there are lawmen present such as a sheriff or city police force?” asked Bob Giles from Nevada.

  “By all means let them do their jobs without interference from you. Offer them support if they need it, but if they tell you to butt out, then you should do so. In that case, you are probably set up in the wrong area. Also, remember that peacekeepers don’t recognize jurisdiction in the manner that law enforcement once did. Peacekeepers can and do cross city, county, and yes even state lines when needed. Borders don’t save the Marauders when it comes to peacekeepers. The point of that is that even if your area has local law enforcement, odds are they will be following jurisdictional guidelines. In that case they may find it advantageous to work with you.”

  “And if the law enforcement is corrupt?” asked Bob.

  “That would depend entirely upon the circumstances. In the event that you encounter corrupt law enforcement, the best thing to do is contact the base with a detailed report. Decisions can then be made in an intelligent manner, with all of the facts at hand,” Pete explained, and then he added, “It’s important that you all remember that you aren’t alone. I know that at times out there in your areas it will seem as if you are all alone, but I assure you that no distress calls from any peacekeeper go unanswered. That’s part of the reason that we formed the peacekeepers in the first place.”

  Pete asked if there were any further questions and since there were none, he took his seat.

  Jim stood to address the assembled peacekeepers who would be the leaders in their areas. “Gentlemen, the peacekeepers are a network of men and women dedicated to preserving the peace, as Tim pointed out in his statement. We do that by training our bodies and minds in the proper disciplines, so that we are prepared both physically and mentally to perform our missions. To keep the training uniform, it is best to send new recruits to the base here for their initial training. It is here that the lessons learned by peacekeepers, all across the country, are evaluated and passed on to the new recruits, during the training process. This is the reason that it is important to send your new recruits here as quickly as possible. But it is also vitally important that you continually train in your local areas. That training should take into account special needs that are unique and or critical to your area, but may not be critical to other areas of the country. For example, training in the treatment of snakebites has been integrated in the Texas peacekeepers. The Louisiana peacekeepers included quicksand training. I could go on, but I think you get the point. Special training needs relevant to your specific areas should be addressed by the local leaders,” Jim explained.

  “Also it is important for you to realize that peacekeepers are a small fraction of the overall population. In order for us to be able to make a difference, we must utilize technology to our advantage. California has a wealth of technology that may be an invaluable resource to the peacekeepers there, as well as to the peacekeepers as a whole. From communications to battle armors, most can be located in that state. Therefore, the western peacekeepers are urged to explore those resources for their potential use,” Jim explained. He noted that Cliff had raised his hand and he said, “Go ahead, Cliff.”

  “It seems to me that we Californian’s could really benefit from the acquisition of a few aircraft such as transports and helicopters. Would you advise us to pursue recruiting pilots and seeking out serviceable aircraft? I ask because I think I know where we can acquire fuel.”

  “Absolutely,” Jim stated emphatically. “And should you acquire aircraft capable of transporting airborne personnel then you might want to locate a jump trainer, but I never did think much of stepping out the door of a perfectly good airplane,” he said this last with a grin. “Also chute folding is a complex skill, so concentrating on helicopters to carry teams on missions might be a safer option.”

  Jim looked at the new men to see if anyone else had a question and when no one spoke up he continued, “Gentlemen, the prototype ship that we utilize is one of a kind. But some of the technology involved can be utilized in other forms of transportation should we locate the resources. To that end Pol Bleakman, one of the original development team members on the ship, has assembled a list of items that we should attempt to locate. If these items can be found, Pol assures me that he can use them to create other ships with capabilities similar to the prototype.” Jim paused as several hands went up simultaneously. He thought that Torey Gilliam from Oregon had been first so he asked, “Yes, Torey?”

  “Sir, what about finding the materials needed to create additional drones?” Torey asked.

  “That is part of the development program that Pol is suggesting. The components needed are in the pages of lists that Pol has prepared for you all. If the components are located, then yes, additional drones are feasible though they wouldn’t be as energy independent as our current two drones.”

  “Why is that, sir?” Torey asked.

  “The entire skin of the drones we use is a part of the charging system. In short, they act as solar collectors,” Jim explained. “The metal alloy is unique and was the invention of Patricia’s father. The battery systems utilized by the drones are miniaturized versions of the futuristic battery syst
em inside the prototype, and as I understand it, the battery system is as revolutionary as the special alloy of the skin of the ship. In short, they cannot be reproduced without the alloy and the batteries both of which were high-tech items whose production was top secret. In laymen’s terms, which I suggest you demand when dealing with Pol, the metal alloy of the hull of the ship, when coupled with the revolutionary battery system, unite to make the ship three times more energy efficient than anything that we could produce without those two elements,” Jim said in conclusion.

  Cliff raised his hand and Jim said, “Yes Cliff?”

  “Do we know the name and location of the factories that produced these components?” Cliff asked.

  “Carwell Industries got the contract to manufacture the two scale models which Pol converted into our drones. As to where the facility was located, that would be San Francisco, so as you can see finding that facility intact is impossible,” Jim said regretfully.

  “Well the city did receive extensive damage during the quakes, but I wouldn’t outright rule out the possibility that the factory survived,” Cliff said with sadness etched on his own face.

  “You mean some of the city actually survived a quake that measured nine-point-four on the Richter scale?” Jim asked incredulously.

  “A Nine-point-four? No. I doubt anything could survive that, but San Francisco didn’t experience a nine-point-four. On the night of the big quakes it experienced a six-point-five which added to the damage that had occurred the previous week, but much of San Francisco survived the quakes.”