by G. R. Carter
Senator Ruff was seated right next to the General and simply smiled and shook her head. “Honestly, General, I would have asked for the same thing. You were more than patient with me and I know you simply want what’s best for your people.”
Hopkins returned the smile and looked to Alex. “See what I mean?”
“I do see it quite clearly, even now,” Alex said pointing to the eyepatch. “She was a hero of mine even before the Hamiltons and Ruffs completed our merger.”
The room laughed at Alex’s self-deprecating humor and allowed everyone to settle in around the giant oak circle serving as the conference table. Twelve Roman numerals appeared in equal distances around the circle and in the interior was written “Time waits for no man” four times in the shape of a square. The chairs were covered in burgundy leather, a gift from ARK on the anniversary of the Republic’s founding. The room’s ornate trim pieces still lay piled up in the corner, but the walls held paintings and artifacts from each community that joined either the Republic or its predecessor, the Okaw Valley Self Defense Cooperative. In the middle of it all hung another representation of the Greenfield Shield next to a picture of Phil and Anna Hamilton on one side and Rebekah’s mother and father on the other.
“Very impressive spread, Founder Hamilton,” Hopkins said. “I bet you’ll be glad when the work is all done.”
Alex nodded. “I will, sir. Because that will mean all of our farms are rebuilt and we have time for the whims of the founding family. And please, sir, call me Alex. In many ways I still consider that title to be misplaced on anyone but my father,” he said humbly.
“Yet your people wish you to be Founder of the Republic. You must honor their wishes in this time of trouble, just as I must with mine,” Hopkins said.
“Indeed, sir. My hope is that the people of Vincennes will look west and see a horizon of friends. That your Marines can go to sleep at night knowing that an ally stands at their shoulder. I hope both our weapons can be turned towards the real threats in this crazy world. Truly, that’s my greatest wish for the two, or three, of us,” Alex said sincerely pointing towards Tony and Nicole.
“My biggest concern with your circle of friends has always been the Buckles. I have no problem with ARK. I envy the partnership the two of you have developed,” Hopkins said.
“I think you’d fit in with our partnership quite well,” Tony interjected. “Alex will tell you we’ve had our own concerns about the Buckles but we’re thrilled that they’ll be joining the Republic as a province. Getting them to focus on improving their own conditions instead of worrying about what caused the Reset will be quite a moderating influence on their leaders.”
“Plus we’re sending one of our best young leaders to oversee the transition. Even better, Senator Ruff will be his mentor during the process,” Alex added.
He strained to see Julia’s reaction. Ever the diplomat, she made no indication the assignment was a surprise.
Tony continued, “General, I think you’ll see the ARK and Red Hawk alliance is built on mutual respect. No hidden agendas here…everyone has enough threats and opportunities to worry about for generations. I think I can speak for Alex when I tell you that we wish to live in peace with all of our neighbors. Unlike others we might mention.”
“I know you’ve had problems with Walsh and New America. The Grays you call them, right? I haven’t. He’s left us alone. I don’t think he’ll be much of a threat to you for quite a while either. You smashed him pretty good. He’ll be rebuilding for years,” Hopkins said confidently.
“All due respect, General, you know how much he hates us. Do you really believe he’ll leave us alone? Pride and hatred aside, we’ve got his capital city and half the area he held under Reconstruction,” Alex said. “Just look at who he allied with in his last invasion. Honestly, can any of us trust someone who’d turn thousands of Ditchmen loose on innocent civilians?” Alex asked.
“I will admit, you have a point there,” Hopkins agreed. “I don’t know what he’s thinking. No officer in the old American Army would have done that. Some of your men served under Walsh at one time, what do they say?”
“That he’s under someone, or something’s, influence. He suffered severe wounds in a battle shortly after the Reset. If I remember correctly, it happened while he was killing some of your fellow Marines,” Alex replied.
“His actions in Lafayette were a sore spot for us at first. But neither side knew what they were up against and both sides fought honorably. Each Marine received a full funeral with honors and Walsh designated a special cemetery just for them. I’ve visited it to pay my respects. That’s all we can ask as professional soldiers.”
“Is that the same man of honor that would hire Rateaters to do his dirty work? Something has changed in the man. New America is an expansionist dictatorship now with zero honor,” Tony added.
Hopkins thought for a moment. “Let’s say I do side with you. Walsh will move me up to the top of the list for payback. He’ll be looking to lash out, and we’re a much easier target than you are.”
“I’d hardly call a thousand Marines an easy target, General! Regardless, I believe we have a plan to neutralize the threat without killing any more brave soldiers on either side,” Alex added, ignoring the quick glance from Tony.
Hopkins noticed the look, then realized what Alex meant by ‘neutralize’. His eyes narrowed at the idea of playing at an assassin’s war, a thought inconceivable earlier in his career. Now, with so many lives to look after, he found himself considering it.
“Part of me finds what you’re suggesting reprehensible, Founder Hamilton. However the other part wonders why leaders and politicians were supposed to be off-limits during war. Like killing soldiers is honorable but somehow the ones who sent them there…Mind telling me what’s so funny?” Hopkins asked, suddenly irritated at the grins on the face of the others.
“Nothing funny, General. Just ironic. The Commander Fredericks said almost the exact same thing. He was very hesitant at first also. Then realized how many lives might be saved at the expense of one,” Alex replied.
Tony added: “This is not something we look forward to. But there’s only one person that has repeatedly invaded the territory of others. Maybe we’ve all done some things here or there that we wish we didn’t have to. But Walsh seems to relish this madness. You said yourself you would agree to at least a minimal peace treaty with us if not for the threat of Walsh’s Reconstruction being forced upon Vincennes.”
“I understand your point and I know it’s a risk for you to give me access to your plans. I won’t betray that trust. But I’m also not going to make a decision for the good of my people based on a day of extremely polite company,” Hopkins said, nodding to Julia.
Alex acknowledged him with a deep nod while rising from his wheelchair. He steadied himself with his good arm and rose as straight and tall as the stiffness allowed. Everyone else at the table rose while keeping an eye on Alex. He turned and began to move toward the General, who quickly recognized the gesture and came towards him with an outstretched hand. The obvious effort and warm handshake allowed the General to take his leave unpressured to make any decisions in front of the crowd. The honor of the moment accomplished exactly what Alex hoped, though the General made no mention of his leanings.
The Marine commander and his entourage politely declined the offer of a ride home via ARKShip One tethered outside on the grounds. They did, however, accept the invitation to return after spring planting for the annual Founder’s Day celebration. With the rebuilding and the injuries suffered, everyone in the Republic assumed the weekend-long celebration would be canceled this year. But Alex surprised them with the announcement that not only would the festivities continue with only a couple of months' delay, but for the first time ever Old Main would have the honor of playing host instead of the capital city. There was no mistaking Hopkins’ delight at the thought of attending a get-together hosted by Julia Ruff. Politics and practicality would join forces if one
let them, and this was a prime example.
“Well, that went about as well as could be expected,” Nicole Kelley said, watching as the mixed convoy of Vincennes and Old Main vehicles drove down the long gravel driveway.
Rebekah nodded. “We didn’t even discuss financial aid of any kind. I think he really just wanted to see if we were real people, not the nutjobs Walsh made us out to be.”
“No matter how close he decides to align with us, I’m pretty sure we drove a wedge between him and Walsh. That’s a victory in itself. He’s clearly not as threatened by New America as he once was,” Alex agreed.
Tony looked at his friend with an arched eyebrow. “That was a pretty big risk you took, telling him about our plans for Walsh.”
“I know, Tony. I’m not sure if I would have said anything under normal circumstances. I’m kind of woozy from the painkillers so my filters are a little more open,” Alex said and rubbed his temples again.
“What else? Come on, there’s something going on in that battle computer you call a brain,” Tony asked.
“A sense of dread. Of urgency. Like something or someone is telling me we have to get our business settled with Vincennes and the Blackhawks and the Buckles and everyone else. Get it done right now,” he emphasized with a pumped fist.
Concern hung in the air for a moment. Alex’s strategic intuitions were legendary and seldom did he speak of them without something coming to pass. Tony gently put his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Tell you what, you go lay down for an hour. Then if you’re up to it Nicole and I would like to take you for a ride on the skyship. I was going to surprise you with it, but I sense you’re not in the mood for that. I have five more skyships hovering just outside of Springfield right now. I’m ready to give the signal to level the place and run the GangStars out of there for good. You okay with that?”
Alex looked at Rebekah who gave him the look and a nod.
“Perfectly okay with that.”
Chapter Eleven– Red Hawk Rising
Old Springfield
Twelve Blocks South of GangStar Headquarters
Two Weeks after GangStar/New America Invasion
Malik was cold and miserable. Piercing wind slipped through cracks in the windows and sliced through his thin coat. Robbie stirred a pot of beans on the small fire in front of them while a handful of his still-loyal soldiers stomped feet and rubbed hands to fight off the cold.
“I’ll never complain about being hot again,” Robbie said, staring into the fire. “Next time the Masen family is on top, we’re gonna move where it’s hot all the time.”
Malik didn’t answer. He simply watching as the food boiled slowly.
“That traitor Pavoni is gonna get his, too,” one the men added.
How is that going to happen? Malik sulked. He’s sitting in the top floor of the Pinnacle Hotel doing his Progressions with my Marti and I’m broke, hunted and alone. Well, almost alone.
Once it was clear they weren’t going to be able to take the Red Hawk Republic’s capital city, Malik had ordered all of his GangStar leaders to make the trek back to their own home base. That left their surviving followers on the battlefield to face death from the skies as giant aircraft with a lambda symbol on the tail joined an artillery barrage that rained down fire and shrapnel. His unarmored men didn’t stand a chance, being surrounded on all sides and leaderless.
Pavoni, who had been against siding with New America in the attack, immediately sent his own inner circle to grab Malik. Fortunately for the Masens, Malik was smart enough to set up this hidden refuge as a backup plan long ago. What Malik hadn’t counted on was some ingenious group of looters ransacking the place he thought was well concealed. By the time his scouts reached the former church, all the looters had missed were a couple days’ worth of canned foods hidden under the floor boards. He was sure Pavoni’s men – my men! - were out looking for him right now.
Heavy underbrush from untended lawns and bushes made the city look like a scraggly forest separated only by asphalt lanes running in each direction. Building rooftops poked out over the top of the leafless plants still dormant for the long winter. But the branches and stems left each entrance concealed, meaning Pavoni would have to search house to house to find him. With the crippling losses the GangStars and their allies sustained, he felt confident there wouldn’t be the manpower for that, leaving plenty of time for Malik to develop a new plan to get back on top.
“Hey boss, you need to come and see this,” one of the guards shouted. Robbie went to the man’s position, pulling back the old curtain that clung to a sagging rod. “Holy…”
Malik finally broke out of his daze and joined his men at the window. Six of the same cigar-shaped aircraft they witnessed at the battle for the Red Hawk capital slid silently through the air to their southwest. He could see tiny specks falling from the ships followed by muffled booms. The breeze coming from the same direction carried the sounds towards him as he tried to figure out what the purpose of the airships was.
Robbie suggested: “This is Red Hawk payback for our attack. They’re going to bomb the city to the ground.”
“There’s only six ships,” Malik replied. “They can’t carry enough bombs to level the entire city. Why wouldn’t they hit the Ice building or the rest of downtown? They have to know that’s where our headquarters is, or was, by now,” he said, thinking out loud.
The group stood mesmerized by the size and oddity of the sights in front of them. There wasn’t much that flew through the air these days other than buzzards feasting on the mistakes of man. Malik watched smoke begin to appear over the horizon and drift in their direction, suddenly horrified as the craft’s intention became clear.
“They’re not going to bomb us, they’re going to burn us!” he shouted. “We’ve got to get out of here, now!” Everyone in the room immediately sprung to action, grabbing whatever they could and dashing out the obscured back entrance.
Malik laughed at the irony as he moved the dry branches out his way to wiggle through the decaying door. The same undergrowth keeping him hidden from Pavoni threat now provided the fuel for the men truly capable of killing him. “Head that way!” he shouted as he trotted down a side street headed west.
He would try to make it out of the city and head west towards Jacksonville. He still had men who were loyal to him there, he was sure of it. The fires might cost him everything he built here in Springfield but at least Pavoni would be gone now, too. The board is reset again, Malik thought to himself as his pace quickened. Time to reorganize and get my mind wrapped around what this all means. He would make it to Jacksonville and gather what he could. He’d have to hurry; the Red Hawks would have that next on their list. He was sure they wouldn’t rest until they thought all of his men were dead.
Between them and ARK, there would be no rest for anyone remotely affiliated with Springfield. So the Masens would push on out to the big river. See what they could get for themselves out there. For the first time since the battle, he began to think about Continuity. Pavoni promised there was a Path for them to live forever; he’d been played. Stupid to believe that crap, he thought. Now I know the truth, it really is kill or be killed out here. That’s just what I’m going to do.
*****
Aboard ARKShip One over Old Springfield
“Good Lord, Tony,” Alex murmured. “I can’t believe how big the fires are already.”
“Truthfully, I wasn’t sure how this would turn out. I thought it might just be a bunch of little brush fires. Nicole’s simulations showed that the pattern of smaller fires would combine into a fire storm if the wind was right. I’m kind of glad she’s not watching, she wouldn’t want to be correct about this one,” Tony admitted with a slightly disturbed look on his face.
Nicole Kelley had no qualms about fighting in self-defense and hated outlaws as much as the rest. But she also had no desire to watch humans burn, even evil ones. She had taken the opportunity to grab some time in their private quarters for well-deserved rea
ding and relaxation. The skyship itself was large enough for a few staterooms, a dining area, crew quarters and the observation deck. From that deck Sam, Uncle Jack, Tony and Alex all had their own window. Occasionally Sam would shout and point out someone attempting to flee the wall of flames consuming every piece of flammable material it reached.
Alex glanced over at Sam slightly concerned at the look on his younger brother’s face. Alex felt no sympathy for the bandits below; certainly they deserved what they got for causing the deaths of so many of his people. However, visions of the photos of Dresden, Germany slipped into his mind. World War II witnessed Allied fire bombings of cities all over the Axis countries. The purposeful targeting of civilians was supposedly done in the name of ending the biggest war in the history of humanity, a war started by the same countries that faced Allied wrath. He understood the mindset, but couldn’t help but wonder if there were any children huddling in the ruins below. What had they done to deserve this fate?
“I know what you’re thinking, Alex,” Uncle Jack said as he walked up beside him. The older man put his arm gently around Alex’s good shoulder. “Many of the soldiers in the old American army came from families who originated in the countries they then were drafted to defeat. Not so much the more recent wars, but certainly World War I and World War II. Millions of people came to America at the turn of the 20th century, and a generation or less later they were on boats headed back to their family’s homelands. Except this time they went to smash the very places bearing their family names.” He made the look on his face everyone recognized as a demand for understanding.
Alex simply nodded and Uncle Jack continued. “You’re probably feeling guilty for feeling guilty…supposed to be big Mr. Republic Founder! Super tough guy, right?” He made a large gesture with his arms and gave the same look as before.