Sherrill Carrington admired the beautiful gold-framed hand mirror that Abdul Aziz Mohammed Al Zahrani had given to her after dinner that evening. It was obviously a valuable antique, perhaps hundreds of years old. The craftsmanship in the handle and frame were exquisite.
“It is so beautiful, Abdul! Thank you, so very much!” Carrington told her lover who lay naked upon her bed.
“You are most welcome, my darling,” replied Al Zahrani. “May you never tire of gazing upon your beauty in its glass.”
“Abdul, is there a story that goes with this?” asked Carrington.
“Indeed there is!” answered Al Zahrani. “Over four hundred years ago, a powerful sheik ordered it crafted for his favorite and most beautiful wife. When he presented it to her, she fell in love with it. She gazed into it each day while preparing herself for her husband that she would always appear lovely for him. Sadly, a year after the sheik gave her the mirror, his wife died in childbirth. His new son died the following day. Heartbroken, the sheik asked that the mirror be locked away in his treasure room where he knew it would be safe, but that he would not have to see it each day. Yet, every year on the anniversary of the day they wed, the sheik would go to his treasure room, pick up the mirror, and gaze into it…hoping to see the reflection of his beloved wife.”
Carrington dabbed tears from her eyes. “Why, that’s so very sad, Abdul! How did you ever find the mirror?”
Al Zahrani reached out to cup one of her breasts and tease her nipple with his fingers. “Ah, my curious one, it is simple. The sheik was my one of my illustrious ancestors through another of his wives. His wealth was handed down through the centuries and I received part of it as my inheritance. As we’ve grown close, I thought you might appreciate this family heirloom.”
“I do, Abdul, I do! I shall cherish it always. Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” said Carrington as tears welled in her eyes. She reached out and laid the mirror upon her nightstand then rolled into Al Zahrani’s arms.
Al Zahrani smiled and thought, Ah yes, the bottom of your heart indeed! He relaxed and gave himself over to the inevitable, hoping to gather some pleasure from the evening.
**********
1st Tactical Battalion ACV, 1753 hours
Castle Rock Bay, Arizona
“We had three personnel wounded, one seriously. She’s in surgery now…her prognosis is good! The attackers sustained nine dead, 15 wounded, and we captured 34 more. The rest retreated back across the river, sir!” Marcus reported to General Titus Roman. The general was in his office in the new ASGuard HQ in the Verde Valley having just returned from a tour of the defenses along Arizona’s southern border.
“That’s okay, son! We’re not trying to wipe them out, just prevent them from invading Arizona and the new U.S.,” Titus responded. “The border posts are reporting a significant drop in the number of eligible immigrants. They’re starting to get the real dregs of society…criminals and the like. The kind who cause trouble no matter where they go! They’ve even caught a few known PSSA agents trying to slip in as ‘refugees’ from the chaos in the cities.”
Marcus nodded, which was picked up by the comm systems camera and sent to his father’s receiver. “How were things along the Wall, sir?”
“Getting worse,” said Titus. “They’re testing our defenses, looking for weaknesses. Ken Halsted just dropped some new intel on troop and equipment buildups in the Mexican states of Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Tamaulipas, as well as in California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. Lots of IGC troops, transport vehicles, tanks, and aircraft in all locations…and apparently more are on the way!”
“Sounds like they’re getting ready for a massive assault, general!” Marcus said with a grim smile on his face.
Titus chuckled. “That’s exactly what Ken said when he briefed me! And…I agree with both of you! How are your supplies? Need any extra support?”
“Cowen and our supply NCO report our table of organization and equipment is A-Okay. Just make sure we can be resupplied when the going gets tough,” said Marcus.
“Precisely what the other front line unit commanders asked. Logistics assures me they’ll stay on top of any TO&E resupply…don’t hesitate to contact them!” the general responded.
Marcus nodded at his father then replied, “Not a problem. Well, that’s my report, sir! The sergeant major and I need to walk the observation posts and check on the troops. Then I need to check in with my other ‘commanding officer’. Give my love to Mom and Julian, sir!”
“Stay safe, son! Tell Teresa that Julian is behaving himself for his grandmother! Our love to you both!” General Roman cut the connection and Marcus shut down his comm unit. He paused for a moment to take another drink from a fresh bottle of water. Then, gathering his helmet and M-4, he made his way to the back of his ACV. He donned his helmet before exiting the vehicle. Keying his comm unit’s microphone, he called out, “Legion Top Kick, what’s your location?”
Cowen’s voice came over the comm unit a second later. “Approaching the ACV from the northwest, colonel. Be right with you!”
SGM Cowen appeared a few seconds later. Being in a combat zone, he did not salute his commanding officer. “Evening, colonel! All’s quiet at the moment.”
“Howdy, Tobias! Just got off the horn with the general. We should be receiving some new intel on enemy troop movements real soon! He pretty much confirmed what I told you earlier today,” Marcus told his senior NCO. Cowen was doing an admirable job replacing the late Aaron Templeton, the Legion’s prior sergeant major, and Marcus’ close friend and confidant of many years. Templeton’s death had left a large hole in the hearts of everyone in Roman’s Legion, as well as everyone in the Arizona State Guard.
“C’mon, Tobias! Let’s check on the troops, check on our wives, then see if we can get some rest tonight…before all hell start’s breaking loose!” The colonel and the sergeant major moved out, heading for the first observation post in their assigned area of responsibility. An hour later, they returned to their armored command vehicle to log their end of day reports.
As Marcus finished his last entry, his wife, Lieutenant Colonel Teresa Roman sat down in a seat next to him and set a bottle of water on the desk in front of him. “Thanks, Honey! I needed this,” Marcus said to her softly after taking a sip of the water. She could see how tired he was.
Teresa rose from her seat, took his hand, and said, “C’mon, Marcus, time for bed…and for you to get some sleep! The Legion needs its commander alert and thinking clearly, not falling on his face from exhaustion.”
Marcus stood up and followed as Teresa led him from the ACV to the semi-buried cargo-hab they were quartered in about 50 feet behind the command vehicle. Before removing his helmet and battle harness, Marcus keyed his microphone and contacted Major Matthew Dillon, the commander of Bravo Company, also known as Dillon’s Marshals.
“Matt, I’m turning in. ‘Doctor’s’ orders! You’ve got it for now,” Marcus told him. Dillon had the first night watch.
“Copy that, Centurion,” Dillon answered using Marcus’ call sign. “Get some rest, colonel!”
“Thanks, Marshal!” Marcus replied and cut the connection. Then he doffed his helmet, battle harness, and the jacket of his battle dress uniform. He sat down on the narrow bed to remove his boots and almost drifted off to sleep while doing so.
Teresa smiled at him and said, “Lay back, I’ll get ‘em!” Marcus complied and Teresa unzipped Marcus’ boots and set them by the foot of his bed. She turned to speak with her husband…only to find his eyes closed and him snoring already. She prepared herself for bed, kissed Marcus on the lips, then climbed into her bed and dropped off to sleep as well.
**********
Marcus may have fallen right to sleep but after an hour or so, his dreams became troubled. The latest in an ancient family dedicated to serving their countries, Marcus had long been bothered by the political divisions that had destroyed the old United States of America and created its successors, the
new United States and the Peoples Socialist States of America.
The citizens of the PSSA had, at one time, been Marcus’ countrymen. But their choice of pursuing a political ideology bent on replacing the federal constitutional republic with a socialist “democracy” placed them at odds with those sworn to defend the republic. If the PSSA wanted to go its own way, then the remainder of the country would let them. But in return, the citizens of the new United States wished to be left alone to pursue their own destiny. The problem was that the rulers of the PSSA would never be content with ruling what they already controlled; they wanted to be masters of the entire continent!
The new U.S. government had gone to great lengths to try to peacefully resolve the issues between the two governments. Live and let live, they offered the PSSA government. In return, they received threats of retaliation and war from the PSSA.
The members of the U.S. government agencies as well as the state agencies such as the ASGuard agreed that their role was to defend their borders and territories. Adequate and repeated warnings were given to dissuade those of the PSSA from trespassing into U.S. territory. If they persisted in crossing a border or did so in a violent manner, then violence was required to turn them back. Marcus didn’t have to like it…merely accept it as a matter of fact.
In one dream, Marcus watched as two young men, one in Union blue and the other in Confederate gray, fought one another with flashing cavalry sabers. Marcus recognized their faces from old photographs in the Roman Family albums. The man in blue was his great-grandfather, Major Pompey Sulla Roman; the man in gray was Pompey’s twin brother, Captain Gaius Germanicus Roman. Both were graduates of West Point and served in the U.S. Cavalry prior to the outbreak of the First American Civil War. At the start of that war, Gaius Germanicus had chosen to leave the U.S. Army to serve with General Robert E. Lee in the Confederate Army.
The brothers encountered one another during the Battle of Shiloh. Major Pompey Sulla Roman lived to walk off the battlefield while his twin lay dying. Following the battle, the major requested a leave and returned home to report his brother’s death to their family. Pompey Roman ended the war as a colonel and returned to West Point as an instructor, never to serve in the field again.
The dream woke Marcus from his troubled sleep. He laid on his cot quietly; thinking about what he and millions of his countrymen and women, current and former, would face in the days and weeks to come.
President Lincoln had once said that the United States would never be destroyed from the outside, but from within. Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev had said the Western ‘working’ classes would bury their own countries. The Marxists within the United States had worked for over 100 years to bring “democratic” socialism to the U.S. Then Carrington and the members of her regime had taken the final step in the Marxist Agenda and tried to turn the country to communism…starting the Second American Civil War!
The Second American Civil War had basically been a “cold war” since the breakup of the old U.S. The vast majority of the people serving in the U.S. military at the time of the breakup had stayed in to serve the new United States of America located in the Heartland states. And he U.S. adopted a defensive, ‘wait and see’ approach to dealing with the Peoples Socialist States of America.
The PSSA, because of its core ideologies, seriously lacked personnel with military training and experience. In fact, it had difficulty recruiting personnel to create new military forces. Many had no desire to join the military because they didn’t believe in violence, didn’t believe in conformity, or just plain hated the very concept of the military. Of those who did join, there were thousands with serious criminal backgrounds, particularly those involving violent crimes. These personnel saw the military as a means to legally conduct violent acts. They required serious monitoring and control to prevent them from carrying their violence too far.
The leadership of the PSSA knew that to defeat the new U.S., they needed an ally with large numbers of battle-hardened troops, aircraft, tanks, ships, and other war materials. Marcus knew that Carrington and her sycophants were more than willing to the risk losing the entire North American continent if they felt they could destroy those Americans who had chosen to stand and support the Constitution and the United States of America as it was founded, a federal, constitutional republic; not a socialist democracy or a communist regime! Thus, Carrington had signed a deal with the devil and brought in the Islamic Global Caliphate to do what her own troops couldn’t do, destroy the U.S.
Marcus sat up on his cot, his clothes stuck to him with a cold sweat. He rose quietly to avoid waking Teresa and walked over to a nearby cooler to get a bottle of water. Picking up his boots, battle harness, helmet, and weapons, he stepped outside the cargo-hab into the rapidly cooling Arizona desert night. He paused to don his gear then found a place to sit on the top of his armored command vehicle while he drank his water. Then he lay back and turned his eyes upward to scan the night sky.
He heard someone climb up on top of the ACV and smiled when he saw Teresa’s face. He patted the vehicle’s roof to his left and Teresa stretched out next to him. “Are you alright?” she asked him.
“No,” he replied softly, “but I’m better now that you’re here with me!”
Chapter 11
December 31st, 1013 hours
ASGuard HQ, Verde Valley
General Titus Augustus Roman sat next to Governor Ellie Alvarez at the front of one of the large briefing rooms in the new headquarters building. Before them sat 40 journalists from across the continent. The press conference had been underway for over thirty minutes.
When it was his turn, one of the journalists rose from his chair to ask his first question. He was slender, about 50 years in ago, with graying temples. “Governor…General, I’m Greg Harris of the Los Angeles Worker’s Daily. Why have you closed your state’s borders and denied Americans from the West Coast entry into Arizona? This continent is one nation after all and its citizens have the right to travel freely from coast to coast.”
The governor and the general looked at one another for a moment then turned back to look at the reporter. They’d heard a number of partisan questions recently but nothing so blatantly one-sided. Finally, General Roman cleared his throat to speak. “Mr. Harris, perhaps you missed a significant event that occurred just a few years back wherein President Sherrill Carrington stood before a joint session of Congress and effectively dissolved the Constitution of the United States of America. She stood there and proclaimed that her party was assuming total control of the old U.S. In doing so, she also dissolved the bond between that government and the citizens of that country.”
“But general…” Harris started to speak but wisely stopped himself when General Roman held up his right hand.
“Please let me finish, Mr. Harris. At that moment, Carrington was put on notice that a significant portion of the population, particularly those in ‘fly-over country”, were no longer under her authority. Since that time, we have established a new United States of America and a new government with stronger protections in our Constitution to prevent such unilateral actions from ever occurring again. Since that time, an uneasy peace has existed between the United States and the Peoples Socialist States of America. And, since that time, Carrington and her government have run the PSSA into the ground. Your economy has collapsed, your cities are in anarchy, your citizens have been turned upon by the criminal elements of your society as well as by agencies of their own government. And finally, your government has entered into cooperation with a medieval death cult that has destroyed most of the civilized nations of the world and is now infiltrating your country and threatening mine!”
“When we became the new United States, we did so with the understanding that we would defend our citizens and our sovereign borders against all enemies, foreign and domestic! We have indeed been accepting what refugees we could until a week ago. At that time, we…and other borders states in the East and the West, determined that we were no longer re
ceiving potential immigrants. Instead, we were seeing that same criminal element I mentioned earlier and quite a few insurgents attempting to gain entry into our country with the intent of attacking us from within. We would be utter fools to allow criminals and enemy combatants to enter our country and endanger our citizens and our country! Does that answer your question, Mr. Harris?” General Roman glared at the man.
“General, who the hell do you think you are to lecture me in such a manner?” asked Harris indignantly?
Before Roman could answer, Governor Alvarez spoke. “Mister Harris, General Titus Augustus Roman is descended from a long line of brave and accomplished American soldiers and statesmen. He is a graduate of West Point, who holds a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, and two doctorate’s degrees that he earned while in the service of his country. General Roman is also a highly decorated officer who served in the old U.S. Army and in the intelligence community prior to retiring to his home state of Arizona…just in time to be called up to lead the Arizona State Guard. If I may, Mister Harris, exactly what are your credentials to challenge General Roman as you just did?”
Harris stood there silently for a moment, the blood rushing to his face. His eyes narrowed and a scowl spread across his face. “Why you slimy, wet back bitch!!! How dare you and your trained puppet speak to me that way!” The man followed this with a stream of invective that could have scathed the paint off a battleship. Fortunately, his rant didn’t last long.
The young woman seated in front of him rose from her chair, turned to face the man then belted him across the mouth. Harris fell backward, tripping over his chair then collapsing to the ground, blubbering like a baby. “Harris, you haven’t got balls or brains enough to speak to Governor Alvarez or General Roman respectfully! You’re a disgrace to real journalists everywhere! Get up off your ass and get the hell out of here!” She pulled her chair to one side and took a step towards the fallen reporter. Harris rose unsteadily to his feet and moved down the row of reporters towards an aisle that led out of the room.
The Arizona State Guard Trilogy Page 48