Beyond Borders

by Bobby Akart

  “It’s politics, my friends. I could’ve declined the opportunity to be Secretary of Defense, which would’ve kept me out of this precarious position. I honestly thought I could advance our military from within the administration while protecting the country at the same time. The president believes I’ve failed.”

  “Not true,” said General Brooks.

  Secretary Gregg continued after glancing at Yancey, who provided him an imperceptible nod. His approach was working.

  “After this meeting, as you know, I’ll be traveling to Austin for a private meeting with the governor. You know Marion Burnett as well as I do. There is no greater advocate for our military and Texas than she.”

  “First class,” added General Brooks.

  “Yes, she is, although a little rough around the edges.” Secretary Gregg laughed. “But not quite as rough as Ma Richards.” This drew an uproar of laughter from everyone in the room as Secretary Gregg reached behind him and retrieved a spoon from near the coffee maker and tapped it on the bottom of his shoe.

  Ann Richards, nicknamed Ma by her political opponents, had been governor of Texas in the early nineties and was famous for making a speech at the Democratic National Convention deriding presidential candidate George Herbert Walker Bush. Mocking his wealthy upbringing in the Northeastern United States, she famously said in an exaggerated Texas drawl, “I’m delighted to be here with you this evening. I figgered after listening to George Bush all these years, you needed to know what a real Texas accent sounds like. Poor George, he can’t he’p it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth!”

  After the hilarity died down, Yancey was smiling, and that was his cue to Secretary Gregg to make his pitch.

  “Gentlemen, unless I’ve read the political tea leaves incorrectly, two things are about to happen. Tonight, the president is going to declare martial law, imposing direct military control over all aspects of our government, law enforcement, and business. She will put her cronies from California in charge of this effort, which would effectively force me out in many respects.”

  “Honestly, Monty, I can’t say I’m surprised,” said General Brooks. “We haven’t felt the impact here because we have power. But the rest of the country is in chaos. What else is going to happen?”

  Secretary Gregg took a deep breath. “Marion has called the legislature into special session tomorrow. I believe she is going to secede from the union, restoring the Republic of Texas in the process.”

  “I thought that was all bluster on the campaign trail,” said the commander from Fort Bliss. “Do you think she can pull it off?”

  “She has already closed the borders,” added General Brooks. “The next step is to have a vote to make it official.”

  “What about us?” asked the commander from Fort Bliss. “We swore an oath to uphold the Constitution.”

  “Yes, you did,” said Secretary Gregg. “But all of us are avowed oathkeepers, and there are certain orders we refuse to obey. For example, her martial law declaration might order the military to disarm American citizens. It’s likely she’ll order the confiscation of excess supplies and food from households deemed hoarders, simply because they were prudent and preparedness minded. After the secession is announced, it’s likely she’ll order you to overtake the Texas government with the ultimate intention of disbanding the state’s government and seizing its assets.”

  “Texas is a sovereign state now,” said General Brooks. “Washington has no right to invade from within its borders using the soldiers under our commands, nor should it send troops from other nearby bases.”

  Secretary Gregg leaned back in his chair and studied the faces of the men sitting around the table. “You have choices in the matter, but here’s what I’m asking of you. First, stand down when the president issues orders to you in violation of your oath. Governor Burnett is trying to protect our fellow Texans from a crush of outsiders entering the state who are putting our families at risk. Next, consider this. I will meet with the governor this afternoon to propose something radical. Some might call it treasonous; others, especially those within our charge, will see it as a step toward survival and self-preservation.”

  “What’s that, Monty?” asked General Brooks.

  “I want to provide the Republic of Texas its own armed forces. Texas, through its planning, sacrifice, and dedication to its political roots, has managed to avoid the calamities besetting the rest of the nation. As Texans, we have the opportunity to jump off a dying ship and restore the republic to its former greatness.”

  The generals talked among themselves while Secretary Gregg drank half a bottle of water. He was parched from his flight and the lengthy conversation. He waited for a response.

  “This is only slightly different from the Civil War,” started the commander of Fort Bliss. “The Union forces garrisoned in the South were primarily Northerners. The few native Southerners abandoned their posts and joined the Confederacy. The vast majority of troops within our command are Southerners and likely to be pro-Texas.”

  “We’re going to have to convince our subordinates and all of those who fall within our command,” said General Brooks. “As for us, we’re in. We’d be honored to help Texas remain strong and free.”

  Secretary Gregg offered his advice. “Thank you all. Now, go back to your bases and tell them this. They can remain on post in the relative comfort of a new nation, the Republic of Texas, with power, energy, food sources, and a stable government. Or they can immediately be reassigned to a base of their choosing, out there, in the darkness. Wish them luck.”

  Chapter 33

  November 28

  The Armstrong Ranch

  Borden County, Texas

  “Miss Lucy!” shouted Major from the barn. “May we borrow you a minute?”

  Lucy had just finished baking egg bread with some of her helpers. The recipe was a unique way to make Texas toast, which would later have a variety of ingredients added to make delicacies like cinnamon swirl bread, raisin bread or old-fashioned garlic butter toast.

  Using ingredients stored in her pantry like flour, yeast, salt, and sugar, together with sustainable ingredients available from the barnyard critters such as milk, butter, and eggs, Lucy and her charges would knead the ingredients and bake it in her oven daily. Their system enabled the three women to create more than a dozen loaves of bread, one for each family per day.

  Lucy approached the barn and found Preacher topping off her truck with gas. Two of the hands were standing next to the truck with their rifles.

  “Y’all goin’ somewhere?” she asked.

  Major walked over to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

  She smiled and touched his face. “What was that for?”

  “Because I can,” he said with a chuckle. “Preacher and the boys are going into Lubbock to talk with the folks at the slaughterhouse. We’d planned on selling off at least a hundred head of cattle before winter set in, and that’s not gonna happen. I wanna see if we can slaughter ten and use the beef for stored food.”

  “What’s the flatbed trailer for?” she asked.

  “When I was over there a couple of weeks ago, Plain Meats had a large restaurant-style freezer for sale. With most of the horses kept out on the ranch all day, we have extra room in the barn. We figured we’d slaughter ten steers and divide them up between all our freezers or turn the meat into jerky.”

  Lucy thought for a minute. “After that, we could butcher them here at the ranch, one at a time, as needed.”

  “Exactly. Can you think of anything else they could pick up while in town?”

  Lucy thought for a moment then laughed. “I reckon Albertson’s has been wiped clean.”

  “As a whistle,” replied Preacher, who’d joined the conversation.

  “Preacher, stop by HF&C,” continued Lucy. “If they’re open, pick up some starter feed for the laying chicks this spring. We’re gonna produce a whole flock of egg-layers. We’ve got plenty of cattle to eat, there’s no sense in eating o
ur egg-producing chickens.”

  “Got it,” Preacher said as he took off his jacket. The day was warming up quickly.

  “Two more things,” Lucy said. “See if the slaughterhouse will sell you a roll of jumbo vacuum rolls for the food saver. If we’re gonna slaughter our own cattle, we could use some backup vacuum bags. Also, while you’re at HF&C, buy up all the Agri-cillin and Baytril they’ve got. We’ve still got a lot of calves out there. Let’s not let them get sick.”

  Preacher headed for the truck after exchanging a few words with Major. Then Major spoke with Antonio and the other young man. They nodded and tipped their hats to her husband.

  Lucy wandered away from the group and nervously wiped her hands on her apron as she faced the north. A single tear rolled down her face as a sudden sense of foreboding overcame her.

  The truck pulled away and Major joined her. She quickly wiped off her face and forced a smile. She’d never been able to hide her emotions from her husband, and this morning was no exception.

  “What’s worryin’ ya, Miss Lucy?”

  “You know, little things like where are my children,” she said with a chuckle, which only served to bring more waterworks.

  Major put his arm around her and held her tight. “They’re resilient and levelheaded. I know they’ll make good choices.”

  She shook her head and wiped her tears once again. “Cooper can be a risk taker, and Riley is compulsive. I hope Palmer can keep them both grounded.”

  “Miss Lucy, they all have our best attributes, and they work well together as a team. Could you ever imagine a more close-knit group of kids, despite their differences?”

  “It is amazing,” she replied. “It was almost like we had two sets of kids. Duncan and Dallas were the adventuresome, see-the-world brothers. The rodeo kids were stay at home and traveled only to pursue their passion—rodeo.”

  “It does make me wonder if maybe while I was in Lubbock running Company C, the postman came sniffin’ around the ranch a little too often,” Major said with a laugh, which was short lived as Miss Lucy landed a well-earned slug to his arm. “Ouch!”

  “You’re lucky that new gun you bought me is sittin’ on the kitchen table,” she snarled playfully.

  “Yeah, yeah. Let’s continue to pray for all of our kids. You raised them well, Miss Lucy. Have comfort in knowing they’re all survivors.”

  The conversation halted as one of the hands came racing toward them on his horse. As he pulled on the reins, causing the horse to snort and rear up slightly, he shouted to Major, “Two police cars want to enter. The governor sent them for you.”

  “They’re here to get me?” asked Major.

  “Si.”

  Lucy’s mind raced. Why would they want to take my husband?

  “Major, what should we do?”

  “I suspect it’s fine,” he replied, slightly unsure of his answer. “Maybe the purpose of their visit got lost in translation.”

  “Maybe,” said Lucy.

  “Go back and fetch them,” ordered Major before turning to his wife. “Let’s see what they have to say. Marion must have a good reason to send these fellows all the way from Austin at this early hour. It’s at least a four-hour drive.”

  The two Texas Highway Patrol cars came down the long driveway to the house at a respectful, slow speed. It was in contrast to the sense of urgency of their message.

  Major was being summoned to the State House to meet with the governor, the Secretary of Defense, and four dozen other key ranchers and business leaders from around the state. It would be a long, eventful day in the history of Texas.

  Chapter 34

  November 28

  The Governor’s Mansion

  Austin, Texas

  Governor Burnett made no effort to hide the presence of the Defense Secretary or his entourage, which included Waller and Yancey. If this meeting went well, it would lend additional credibility to her leadership skills as she navigated the state toward secession. If the meeting was a bust, she could spin it to her advantage—she’d agreed to meet with the president’s representative in a last-ditch effort to see eye-to-eye, to no avail.

  “Gentlemen, this is our adjutant general, Kregg Deur,” said the governor as she started the introductions. “I’ve asked him to sit in, as he is in charge of the Texas Guard and is spearheading our border-control efforts. Please, everyone, take a seat.”

  The governor motioned for her chief of staff to leave and close the door. After everyone was settled, Secretary Gregg spoke first.

  “Marion, if I may, I’d like to dispense with the formalities.”

  “Fine by me,” said the governor. “For days, I’ve felt like I’ve been on the campaign trail again. That door has been revolving with one legislator after another offering advice and hearing what I have in mind.”

  “I understand,” said Secretary Gregg. “Let’s lay our cards on the table, Marion. I believe you are positioning Texas to secede from the union, and we’re here to help.”

  Governor Burnett laughed. “Clearly, this is an unofficial visit. Unsanctioned by the president, correct?”

  Secretary Gregg laughed. “She would consider this treasonous, and perhaps it is. Time will judge us for our actions.”

  “It’s no secret that I’ve been an advocate of secession for years,” started the governor. “I believe half of Texas agreed with me before this attack by the North Koreans. If polling were available to us, I’d wager that number is more like eighty percent right now. If I opened the floodgates on both ends of I-10, that number would rise to ninety percent or more.”

  “That’s a fair assessment, as secession is, in a way, regime change,” said Yancey. “While your government will continue to operate under your leadership, creating a new nation-state is the necessary result of replacing one form of government with another—state becomes nation.”

  “I suppose that’s true,” said the governor.

  Yancey continued. “Regime change can be effectuated through several methods. Sometimes an outside, hostile enemy forces the overthrow of a government. Other times, a revolution or coup d’état takes place to replace a failed state. In your case, this is a friendly takeover of sorts, assuming you have the will of the people on your side.”

  “I believe we do,” interjected Deur. “Texans have seen their food supplies dwindle. Gasoline is beginning to run out. The media within the state have warned that unless something is done, despite having electricity, Texas will fall the way of the rest of the nation.”

  “Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of people who are now threatening to enter the state,” added the governor. “In those early days, we made a point to spread the news about refugees breaking into homes. One family was brutally killed outside Texarkana on Saturday. The news spread across the state like wildfire, thanks to the efforts of our public relations office.”

  “That single event helped me recruit thousands of new deputies to help close and secure our borders around the perimeter of the state,” added Deur. “One important detail that was left out of the story, however, was the fact the killer lived in Wake Village on the Texas side of town.”

  “You created a false flag, well done,” said Yancey.

  Deur nodded. “Sometimes a situation presents itself to lay the blame on somebody else in order to advance the goals of government. Personally, I don’t like it, but I have a job to do—protect our borders.”

  “Monty, we go way back and I know you well,” said the governor. “What are you proposing?”

  “Marion, the president is going to declare martial law. I believe it’s her first step in exerting control over the country, including Texas. There is already talk behind the closed doors at Raven Rock of commandeering your assets, flooding your state with refugees, and taking control of the valuable energy industry here.”

  “I thought as much,” muttered the governor. “Would she be so bold as to send troops into our state to force our hand? Or worse, use the million-plus already within
our borders?”

  “I don’t know what’s in her head, as she has kept me out of the loop,” replied Secretary Gregg. “I don’t think she’ll invade per se. Rather, she’ll call upon Bliss and Hood to do the dirty work.”

  “We can’t fight that, Monty,” said a concerned Governor Burnett. “Kregg and I have our hands full recruiting, feeding, and paying thousands of new deputies to protect our borders.”

  Secretary Gregg managed a sly grin and raised his hand to calm her concerns. “Marion, I’ve already laid the groundwork. All I need you to do is garner public support, have a successful vote in favor of secession, and remain steadfast as the political pressure is heaped upon you from Washington.”

  “I can do that,” said the governor. “And if the president decides to abandon, or even skip over, the political pressure you mention?”

  “You mean go straight to military force?” replied Secretary Gregg with a hypothetical question of his own. “Then I’ll use my considerable influence over the U.S. commanders and ask them to stand down. Or we’ll defend ourselves like any autonomous country would do.”

  Chapter 35

  November 28

  Woodhouse, Alberta, Canada

  Luck was often beyond a person’s control. But decisions were always in a person’s hands. Good decision-making, coupled with preparation, could create both luck and opportunity. This was evidenced by the stroke of luck, and generosity, afforded Cooper and the gang when they’d arrived in Nanton the night before.

  Cooper read the situation properly, took a chance, and as a result, a very generous family took them in for the night and provided them comfort. Not only did they have a warm place to sleep by a roaring fire, but they were fed two hot meals. More importantly, their hosts provided them hundreds of rounds of ammunition for their weapons, a critical element of their chance to survive.