by James Rosone
Tate put his head in his hands. Jerome stammered, “Sir—”
“If I were you, I’d go take a walk right now,” said Tate. He was angry enough to punch someone.
Jerome followed his advice and exited the room silently. Marshall Tate was left alone with his feelings. He turned off the TV; he didn’t want to hear another second of it.
What are we going to do now? he wondered. As he sat there, his rage slowly subsided. He found himself feeling somewhat relieved that this plan hadn’t worked. Tate had never wanted to assassinate Sachs. He’d wanted to beat him the old-fashioned way, at the ballot box.
But I didn’t do that, did I? he asked himself. He wondered why he was even doing this anymore. He hadn’t won. He knew that now. The country was being torn apart over a lie. His country—the one he’d hoped to lead into a new era of freedom and prosperity.
Tate tried to run all the angles, but the more he tried to calculate, the more he realized there was no way out for him. If he tried to back down now, the powers that had propped him up would destroy him and his family in a way that would make him wish he was dead.
He looked over at the bottle of Ambien he’d been using to help him sleep at night. Maybe I should just take care of it myself, he thought. But Tate knew he didn’t have the courage to end it all. For better or worse, he was stuck now. He was a pawn in someone else’s scheme. A scheme that was not going very well…
Chapter 4
Two Presidents
From the Associated Press:
A day after he was rescued, the White House and the Pentagon have finally confirmed that President Jonathan Sachs survived the UN attack on Raven Rock and was found alive. He had been trapped for nearly a week in the tunnel connecting the presidential retreat of Camp David and the Raven Rock facility. The Pentagon reports that the President was one of only four survivors. Rescuers also found one Secret Service agent, the naval officer carrying the nuclear football, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. More than 900 people died in those two attacks.
It’s been reported that President Sachs will resume his duties as president the day after Senator Marshall Tate takes a separate presidential oath of office in New York City. Tate still maintains that he is the only duly elected president of the United States.
*******
January 20, 2021
New York, New York
Steps of City Hall
For January, it was a beautiful morning in New York City. The temperature hovered somewhere around thirty degrees Fahrenheit, and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. There was virtually no wind either. Encouraged by this relatively welcoming weather, a crowd of ten to fifteen thousand people packed every inch of the park and the promenade in front of the city hall building.
Standing on a freshly built stage that had been constructed specially for this event was President-elect Marshall Tate. Next to him stood his wife and two grown children, along with the Chief Justice for the New York Supreme Court. Further down the stage, and at considerable personal risk to himself, was UN Secretary-General Johann Behr, who was flanked by the leaders of Canada, Germany, and France.
Absent, of course, were the military leaders of the UN and CDF forces, along with Tate’s soon-to-be-sworn-in Secretary of Defense, Admiral David Hill. Tate and his new administration had decided that they were all taking enough of a risk gathering in a public place for this swearing-in, and they didn’t need to tempt the federalists by presenting all the military and political commanders together on one stage. With the cameras of the world pointed at them, they doubted Sachs would order an airstrike on them, but no one was taking chances.
The Chief Justice of the New York Supreme Court walked up to Tate and his wife. He took a deep breath and let it out. The time had finally come. In just a moment, he would finally be sworn in as the President of the United States.
The Chief Justice held a Bible in front of Tate, and a hush fell over the crowd. “Good morning, Mr. President-Elect. Please recite after me.”
Tate placed his left hand on the Bible that the justice presented and raised his right hand. He listened intently to each word.
I can’t screw up now, he thought. He was very conscious of all of the eyes and cameras that were aimed at him in that moment.
“I, Marshall Tate, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
When he’d finished uttering the words, it was as if a huge weight had been taken off his shoulders. He felt a surge of optimism and pride in being an American.
The two men shook hands. Then the Chief Justice made way for him to walk up to the microphone at the podium so the newly elected President could give his inauguration speech. Before he spoke, Marshall Tate took a moment to look out onto the crowd, who were bundled up in winter jackets, scarves, gloves and hats, waiting with palpable anticipation for him to speak.
Tate cleared his throat softly, then looked at the teleprompter. “My fellow Americans, these are troubling times we find ourselves in. Here I stand before you, being sworn in as the forty-sixth president of these United States on the steps of city hall in New York City, instead of at the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., like the US presidents before me.”
“Yeah, because your UN army bombed the Capitol Building!” shouted someone from the crowd. Instantly, Tate’s supporters and nearby security guards grabbed the man and removed him before he could cause any further disturbance.
Without missing a beat, Tate moved on as if the incident hadn’t happened. Methodically, he laid out his vision for America: to provide healthcare to all, free college for those who wanted to attend, and a universal basic income. The crowd ate up every word he said. Then his focus turned to what he called “Occupied America,” which is what his administration had begun calling the parts of the country that were still under control of the former president, who simply wouldn’t leave office.
“To those citizens in Occupied America—know that we are doing everything in our power to liberate you. With the help of our friends and allies from the United Nations and the rest of the world, we will free you from the shackles of the Sachs administration. I ask that each and every one of you find the resolve within yourselves to either take up arms against the occupiers or to find a way to cross over into Free America and join the ranks of our new Civilian Defense Force as we move to release our country from the yoke of tyranny and oppression.”
The crowd went wild as he did his best to rile and stir them up. Page Larson and Admiral Hill had gone over his speech extensively in preparation for this event. They’d sold him on the idea of using his inauguration speech as a rallying cry to try and regain the public support for his administration. They also hoped that his message would help to inspire tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of people, to join their ranks in defeating the federal government.
A lot rode on this speech. If they couldn’t grow the ranks of the CDF and do it quickly, the UN force would collapse, and the Second American Civil War would end before it could really get going.
*******
From Der Spiegel:
Many across the globe are celebrating the official swearing-in of Marshall Tate as the 46th president of the United States. In his public address following the ceremony, Chancellor Kraus stated, “The people of Germany and Europe stand with President Tate and the people of Free America. It is in times of great struggles like these that we must unite as a global village to protect the world from those who are drunk on power.”
The Chancellor attended the event to reiterate his support for the UN peacekeeping mission there. The prime ministers of Canada and France were also present to congratulate President Tate. Several other European members of the UN military effort have also made public speeches confirming their support of the new American president.
*******
Yankee Stadium
Following D
ay
Lieutenant General Ryan Jackman looked at the long line of young people volunteering to join the CDF and smiled. He’d hoped President Tate’s speech would gin up support, but he had no idea so many people would answer the call. If he had to guess, there were close to twenty or thirty thousand people there, waiting to sign up to volunteer to serve in the CDF.
Jackman’s administrative folks were working with the Canadians to get them signed up and processed through the enlistment procedure as quickly as they could. Every half hour, a new batch of enlistees would be sworn in and then moved over into one of two different groups. The first category was the fresh, raw recruits—people who had no prior military experience. Those recruits were going to be moved to a holding area from which they would be shipped off to the recently captured Fort Drum and a few other bases for a very shortened version of basic combat training.
The second batch of recruits were those who had prior military service. These people were immediately given new uniforms and an automatic promotion to either corporal or sergeant, depending on the last rank they’d held. Then they’d be sent over to Fort Totten, where they would be issued weapons and integrated into one of the existing or newly created CDF battalions.
While the federal forces were giving them a short reprieve around Trenton, New Jersey, General Jackman was determined to grow his militia ranks swiftly and get them ready for the next major battle.
*******
From MSNBC Online:
Despite nine days of heavy fighting across the American-Canadian border, there appears to be no end in sight to the bloodshed and fighting that is consuming both nations.
After Marshall Tate was officially sworn into office, the governors of California, Oregon, Washington State, Wisconsin, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Vermont have joined Free America and have officially declared their support and recognition of Marshall Tate as the duly elected 46th president of the United States.
The other 39 states continue to remain a part of Occupied America, including the following states that are run by Democratic governors: Colorado, New Mexico, Hawaii, North Carolina, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. According to our recent polling, the majority of the country’s population still does not recognize Marshall Tate as the legitimate president.
The Sachs administration, for its part, refuses to recognize the results of the recent election and is calling the UN peacekeeping force a “hostile takeover of the American government.”
*******
From BBC Online:
The government of Japan continues to stand by their demand that all US military forces withdraw from their country by 1 February. Sources within the American Department of Defense report that it is a severe logistical challenge to evacuate all of the military members and their families and the equipment on the bases by the deadline. Anonymous informants from the Pentagon have stated that a large amount of military equipment will have to be destroyed in place in order to meet the demands.
The United Nations peacekeeping force, which includes China, continues to put pressure on America to recognize Marshall Tate as the duly elected leader of the United States. Thus far, the Sachs administration shows no signs of deescalating this conflict.
*******
From the Daily Mail:
As Europe rallies around the fledgling Tate administration in New York, the United Kingdom continues to sit on the sidelines. An official statement from Hughes’ office read, “It is not the place of Great Britain to insert herself in the domestic affairs of America, particularly when we have more than one hundred years of friendly relations. As Prime Minister, I intend to keep our nation out of this American civil war and this foolish military adventurism by the United Nations. This folly on behalf of the UN has already cost the lives of more than 20,000 Europeans. I won’t sacrifice the lives of our youth to advance the cause of the UN or its German, Russian, and Chinese puppet masters.”
The Labour Party decried the Prime Minister’s fence-sitting stance, calling it a “swipe at the UN.” The Leader of the Opposition described the conflict taking place in America as a “war between the forces of good and evil.”
As Canada continues to be torn apart by the federalists loyal to President Jonathan Sachs, many people in the Commonwealth plead for British intervention to help the UN end the bloodshed.
*******
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Staff Sergeant Lane Haverty and the men of India Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines bobbed up and down a bit as their amphibious assault vehicle hit a few waves. Prior to leaving the USS Bataan, their battalion commander had told the NCOs a large contingent of both Cuban and Venezuelan soldiers were preparing to attack the facility within the next twelve to twenty-four hours. As such, the commander of the 24th MEU was going to deploy them now in anticipation of the attack. He’d also said if the Cubans hadn’t launched their attack by nightfall, then chances were, they’d go on the offensive and hit them first.
“Staff Sergeant, we’re approaching the beach. Get your men ready. When we get off the beach, start scanning your sectors,” the vehicle commander announced before he went back to scanning the horizon through the thermal scope.
Haverty grunted. He turned and looked at the two rows of Marines staring back at him, waiting for some nugget of information.
He lifted his chin a bit. “Once we get off the beach, I want those hatches opened and y’all scanning your sectors. Heads on a swivel and stay frosty. We have no idea if the Cubans are going to challenge our landing or attack the base perimeter.”
Haverty saw nothing but a sea of faces that were plastered in camouflage paint and looks of determination. They all nodded grimly at the orders. He could tell that many of them had already consumed a few Rip It energy drinks, and some of the Marines had pinches of Skoal chewing tobacco stuffed in their lower lips. These men were ready for a fight.
Minutes later, the engine sounds of the amphibious assault vehicle changed as its tracks found purchase on the gravelly surf just in front of Kittery Beach. The Amtrack lurched forward and then steadily moved up the pebbled coast. A man with a flashlight wand guided them to the patrol road that would lead them to the on-base firing range a kilometer away. The battalion was going to bivouac near the range until they got the rest of their support equipment and units ready to initiate combat operations later that evening.
Haverty checked his watch. It was 2213 hours. When the vehicle finally leveled out, Staff Sergeant Haverty yelled out to be heard above the din of the engine. “Get those hatches opened and start watching your sectors!”
For Haverty, this was his second time at Gitmo. After completing his initial training, his first assignment had been here, as a part of the security detachment on the base, so he was obviously very familiar with the layout of the facility. He also knew if there was a fight, their unit would need to expand out of the base perimeter quickly. It was a small piece of real estate, and they didn’t have a lot of maneuver room.
A few minutes into their drive, as Haverty was scanning with his own NVGs, he spotted a growing cluster of vehicles and people as they approached the large open space that represented the on-base firing range. Given the ground guides were doing their best to space the vehicles out as best they could, it had still turned into a chaotic cluster of people and equipment as they tried to cram the entire battalion into the area.
When the vehicle came to a halt, the commander dropped the back hatch, and Haverty’s squad piled out of the Amtrack. As the Marines exited, they quickly threw their rucks on and fell into a hastily called platoon formation. As the squads formed up, Haverty moved down his row of men to make sure his guys were ready for whatever assignment they were about to be given. Once the platoon was formed up, the lieutenant walked up to Gunnery Sergeant Mann and relayed some information to him just outside of earshot.
Gunny Mann was a tough Marine, mean as the Devil himself. He’d just finished his twentieth year in the Corps and plann
ed on staying in for as long as they’d let him. Aside from his uniquely brash nature, Mann was a damn good platoon sergeant. He’d served two tours in Iraq and another three tours in Afghanistan. In that time, he’d earned two Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars with V device, and a Silver Star for his efforts.
When the lieutenant finished relaying to Mann what was up, the gunnery sergeant pulled out a map and quickly pointed to a spot on it. The lieutenant nodded in approval.
Gunny Mann turned to look at his platoon. Using no less than four F-bombs, he yelled at them all to shut up, even though no one was speaking. “Here’s the skinny,” he continued. “The lieutenant says we’ve been ordered to go set up a defensive line on the northeast side of the perimeter while we wait for this operation to kick off. I want the squads to dig fighting positions as soon as we get there. The area we’re headed to is roughly a mile-and-a-half hike from here. I want us there in twenty minutes, and your fighting holes dug and ready twenty minutes later. Is that clear?” he bellowed.
Without waiting for a reply, he spun around with his gear already on and headed off to their objective. The lieutenant did his best to catch up to Gunny Mann, and the rest of the squads took off at a quick trot, falling into two single-file lines on either side of the patrol road that ran along the perimeter. All around them, other platoons were moving out as well as the newly arrived Marines prepared for the coming offensive.
Eighteen minutes after they’d left the firing range, Haverty’s squad arrived at their part of the perimeter. They dropped their rucks and quickly pulled their entrenching tools.
Without a word of complaint or even so much as a murmur, the leathernecks went to work. They swiftly dug two-man positions for the rifle teams and three-man holes for the machine-gun crews, staggered every three to five meters, depending on the terrain. They all knew that the sooner their holes were dug, the sooner they could sack out and catch some sleep before the sun came up. They also knew an attack could happen at nearly any time, so the last thing they wanted was to be caught out in the open during an attack without a fighting hole to crawl into for protection.