by Kurt Winans
After a quick look at each of his counterparts, the four-star Army General replied, “We understand Mr. President. Did you have a specific target date in mind sir?”
The President pondered for a few seconds, and then replied, “Indeed I do General. I believe that we must act on this opportunity to pay tribute to those who were killed by the organization on the supposed behalf of Texas. Therefore an underlying message should become one aspect of our retaliation, and it would be most appropriate to deliver that message by taking action against those responsible on this coming Memorial Day.”
Throughout the next few hours the Chiefs of Staff built upon the rough framework of a plan which was discussed two weeks prior, with that multifaceted operation including a strategy which called upon a segment of history from the American Civil War. Although the plan of the Joint Chiefs would employ both misdirection and direct frontal assaults, it also brought forth elements that had been utilized by the northern Union forces to break the determined spirit of the Confederate forces within the rebellious south.
In that instance, the Union began by forming a blockade of the largest southern ports. That action by the Navy hindered the ability to export goods, and effectively choked off the supply lines from foreign lands which might be sending aid. As a follow-up, ground forces split the Confederacy in two by securing the vital supply artery of the Mississippi River at strategic locations such as Vicksburg. Then as the final aspect of a three pronged attack, “Sherman’s March to the Sea” as later defined in the history books was thrust through the heart of the Confederacy. By advancing deep within enemy territory, General Sherman and his forces created a swath of Union control through the heart of Georgia.
Now more than one-hundred and sixty years later, a similar plan of attack, although less bloody in intent, would be employed to defeat Texas. Aside from attempting to gain control of resources and separating a portion of the republic from the main body, a blockade would be employed.
The lone Admiral within the Joint Chiefs stated that the Navy could be ready to place a blockade of multiple warships within the Gulf of Mexico prior to the target date, and that when so desired, he would have them moved into strategic positions along the entire Texas coast. In addition, he expressed a desire to have the same man in command that had done such an outstanding job during the Syrian campaign.
To that President Harwell replied, “That is an excellent idea Admiral. However he must be made to understand that we are not declaring war on Texas, as it would require an act of Congress to do so. This entire operation must be executed with the upmost secrecy, and that group of legislators on Capitol Hill couldn’t keep a lid on this even if they wanted to. Now with that said, inform Admiral Rutherford that there is no call to pulverize the coastline of Texas.”
“Yes Mr. President.”
The next phase of the plan to be discussed was that of covert incursion, and what the anticipated gains would be throughout the process. There would be diversions put in place to hopefully confuse the leaders in Austin, while at the same time drawing their attention away from intended targets of capture. Heading the list of those proposed targets were two military installations which stood in reasonable proximity to the United States border, while a third would be monitored to see if an opportunity to seize it would manifest.
First there was the Red River Depot, which before the surrender of all bases within Texas to the new republic, had been operated by the United States Army. During those years the base located just west from the city of Texarkana was used for the storage of ammunition, and although the Army had removed their stockpile prior to abandonment, the Republic of Texas had seen fit to maintain a portion of their ammunition supply in that location while theoretically protecting the northeastern corner of their territory. The geographic location of that base was in stark contrast to another main objective, and a simultaneous move upon both would serve to stretch the opposition forces. Fort Bliss stood at the edge of the city of El Paso within the farthest western reaches of the republic, which was more than eight hundred miles from the Red River Depot. It too was vital to the success of the planned incursion, but what would be required to capture and hold the larger and more populated base would involve tactics that were somewhat different than those of Red River.
The last of the three was Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls. Located more than one-hundred miles to the northwest of Fort Worth and just south of the border with Oklahoma, its primary charge was that of defending a large portion of the border which included the panhandle region of northern Texas. Seizing that base would not become an actuality unless it was literally handed over, but the thought of an eventual move against it could cause the military minds within Texas some concern. However as a precursor to that sought-after response, a diversion was planned that would hopefully draw forces from Sheppard into the panhandle. Then if luck was on the side of the United States, the same diversion would also initiate some reaction from Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene.
Although definitely more complex than what the Union forces employed during the American Civil War, the multi-pronged attack plan had similar characteristics. It would incorporate a blockade with a vastly superior constricting ability when compared to what was possible via the Navy of the 1860’s, and there would be events set in motion to disrupt and separate portions of the opposition forces. The glaring difference between what had taken place in the past and what would hopefully transpire within the coming months, was that there would be no pillaging, plundering, or burning of any towns or cities.
Having listened to the proposal of the Joint Chiefs, and feeling satisfied that their plans, at least on paper, appeared to be sound, President Harwell gave forth a broad smile.
Leaning forward in his chair he stated, “Alright gentlemen, I believe that we have a firm plan from a military perspective. Now do what needs to be done so that your labors can be successfully orchestrated. However I remind you once again that this must be kept in the strictest of confidence for the time being so that we don’t risk the possibility of tipping our hand. Therefore you should choose carefully who will be brought into the loop, and in order to reaffirm that message of strict security, don’t hesitate to visit individual units of those personnel which you plan to employ.”
While seated at his desk in the oval office during the afternoon of Tuesday May second, President Harwell listened as Mrs. Dawson discussed his upcoming itinerary. The intended visit to Puerto Rico during the closing days of the month was already known by the national media, but news of his trip to the Centennial State of Colorado a few days prior to that event had been kept from them. However with the addition of a new wrinkle to that trip west, the President doubted that the secrecy would last longer than another few minutes.
Upon reflection Jordan Harwell realized that the Secretary of the Air Force, and the commandant of the academy, were both men of their word. They had each known for two months that he would be visiting Colorado Springs on the twenty-fourth of May, and yet they had contained the news that the President would be taking part in the commencement exercises for the Air Force Academy class of 2028. However what the two men didn’t know was that President Harwell now had another purpose for heading west, as he intended to meet with someone at length on the afternoon before the commencement.
When his trusted assistant paused after reviewing the itinerary for the commencement, the President asked, “So have you spoken with the hotel in Denver?”
“Yes sir, I spoke with the hotel manager just a few moments ago. She has confirmed that per the desire of the White House, an entire floor will be at your disposal. She will liaison with the Secret Service here and the local field office of the FBI in Denver to ensure that everything runs according to their requirements.”
“That’s good. And what else do we have in place?”
“Per your instructions sir, we have you slated for a noon arrival on Tuesday the twenty-third followed by transport to the downtown hotel. I have also spoken with
the Chief of Staff for the Governor, and she has confirmed that he will arrive at three o’clock for the meeting. Then should the need arise, food can be prepared for the two of you to have dinner in your suite.”
“And the following morning?”
“We have wheels up at ten o’clock for the short flight down to Colorado Springs sir.”
“Alright Mrs. Dawson, that all sounds good to me. Now what do we have for the subsequent trip to Puerto Rico?”
“That will be a shorter duration trip with no overnight stay sir. There is only the one speaking engagement in San Juan, which will be followed by a late luncheon hosted by the Governor of Puerto Rico.”
“That’s excellent, and that is slated for Monday the twenty-ninth correct?”
“Yes sir. I have you returning from Colorado during the late evening of the twenty-fourth, with a very early departure for Puerto Rico on the twenty-ninth.”
“Very well Mrs. Dawson. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome Mr. President.”
As the woman turned to exit, Christopher Westin stated, “Well the San Juan trip should be easy, but we have just made Colorado a little more challenging. News of your visit with the Governor will undoubtedly let the secret out if it hasn’t happened already.”
“That’s true Chris, but I’m afraid it couldn’t be avoided. We both know that the hotel in Denver has probably already released some sort of statement, as it can’t hurt their marketing efforts to boast of having a sitting United States President as a guest of their establishment. Besides, the advance teams of the Secret Service were going to need access to the academy soon anyway, and the hotel and surrounding area will be more difficult for them to secure. It’s only fair to them, the hotel, and the surrounding businesses to have advance warning of the pending Presidential entourage.”
“I understand sir.”
Upon returning to the business matters on his desk; the President couldn’t help but be distracted over how the trip to Colorado could potentially play out. On one side of the equation were the two opportunities which existed for him, as he could officially ask the Governor of Colorado to be his running mate for the upcoming November election before wishing tremendous success to those who would graduate from the Air Force Academy. However the opposite view was that of the two negative factors. The first being that his choice for a running mate could decline the opportunity of becoming the Vice President, which would mean that the President would need to quickly broaden his search for another viable and palatable option. Then there was the second unavoidable negative, as Jordan Harwell understood that Samuel Tillman, a man whom he considered to be an enemy of the United States, would surely be in attendance at the commencement.
As the President pondered over that eventuality, the thought of Lieutenant Kristen Royce and what her fate would be also came to mind. Heath had lobbied that she deserved some leniency in her sentencing, and as the assessment was correct, it would be granted.
Later that evening President Harwell walked to the basement with news of that decision, and a related question for Heath.
After informing him that the travel arrangements for moving Kristen to a new location had been finalized, he asked, “How do you feel in knowing that it was Samuel Tillman who wanted you killed?”
“Excuse me sir. I don’t understand.”
“Well Heath, it’s pretty straightforward. I want you to tell me what it feels like to know exactly who is attempting to kill you.”
After a brief hesitation of either contemplation or disbelief that the question had been asked, Heath replied, “Well sir, it honestly doesn’t bother me. My responsibility of duty calls for protecting you from harm, which means that anyone who may want to kill you will inherently want to kill me so that they can get to you. Therefore I choose to treat Samuel Tillman as just another person who wants to kill me, however there is one difference.”
“And what’s that Heath?”
“Well Mr. President, I can’t hide from him forever. But if Samuel Tillman should somehow succeed in his quest to kill me, at least I will know during my last breath that he isn’t coming after you.”
While Kristen rode in the transport plane from Washington D.C. to who knows where they were taking her, she had to give Agent Bishop some credit. The man had remained true to his word, and as a result, Kristen was no longer confined to a ten by ten foot concrete cell in the basement of some federal facility.
The opportunity for her slightly improved situation was based solely on how she had cooperated with Agent Bishop, and how the intelligence which she provided had been a significant aspect in proving the guilt of those within the organization. As a reward for that recognizable effort, Kristen had received a partial, albeit secretive, pardon from President Harwell. However his leniency was contingent upon a set of conditions. First, the identity of Lieutenant Kristen Royce would still be categorized as an individual who had died in the early morning hours of January first. Her military record as an officer in the Navy would reflect no specific achievement or shortcoming, but would instead read as nothing more than a generic and mundane career. In addition, any funds which might have been paid out to a beneficiary of her insurance policy and limited pension would be forfeited. Of course the reality of the situation made such discussion moot anyway, as Kristen was also made to understand that no one would have ever received either of those financial benefits. Had it not been for her fictitious classification as deceased, Kristen would have most absolutely been dishonorably discharged in disgrace for her active participation in the treasonous acts against the United States. That finding would have stayed on her record permanently, while also rendering Kristen exempt from any future benefits. However no family member or other individual had been identified within her file as a beneficiary, and upon her announced death, no one had come forward to dispute an oversight of her intent to do so. Therefore those funds would be added to an intended future pool of capital which would be earmarked for the rebuilding of Syrian infrastructure.
As another condition of the leniency toward her, Kristen would be required to leave her former identity behind and accept an invented false substitute. That particular need would not be a stretch for Kristen, as she had playacted in the role of many different women throughout the years. However the precaution of a new identity would serve as an added measure for her safety while in prison, and after she was released.
That in turn led to the fourth and final condition, which dealt specifically with the length of her incarceration. Under the name of her new and permanent identity, she would remain in a federal maximum security prison for twenty years. During that time her contact with other inmates would be limited, but based on what level of good behavior she exhibited, she could earn the privilege of running on a track within the high security courtyard.
After the transport plane landed at the Ellsworth Municipal Airport and rolled slowly into a hangar, the woman formerly known as Kristen Royce was transferred into an awaiting van with tinted windows. Then she, along with her heavily armed escorts, were driven the short distance over to the nearby federal maximum security prison. Once unloaded from the van and taken inside for processing, she learned of the established rules which would need to be adhered to if she expected any measure of decent treatment.
As the door to her cell was about to closed, the warden standing in front of her said, “If you behave, then your long stay with us can be somewhat comfortable.”
With a nod, she replied, “Yes ma’am, I understand and I will act properly.”
“Good, now do you have any questions?”
“Yes ma’am, only one at this time.”
“And that is?”
“Where are we?”
“You’re kidding. Didn’t they tell you where you were being transferred to?”
“No ma’am. I was just loaded into a van like the one that I just got out of and taken to a plane. Other than the fact of being in your facility, I have no idea where I am.”
“
I see. Well this facility of mine as you call it is in Ellsworth Kansas.”
“Kansas? You’re telling me that I’ve been sent back to Kansas?”
“That’s correct. Is that a problem for you?”
Without saying another word, she dejectedly turned back into her cell and sat on the bunk. Kansas was the one place that she never wanted to see again for the entirety of her life, and although she didn’t know it at the time, Ellsworth was almost directly in the center of it. As the door was locked behind her, she vowed that even if it took well beyond her release in twenty years, somehow she would locate Agent Heath Bishop.
As had been done the previous spring when Jason graduated from West Point in New York, several Tillman family members ventured to Colorado Springs so that they could witness the commencement exercises as Beau graduated from the Air Force Academy. Faced with a similar call of duty to what Beau had encountered the previous year, Jason could not break away to attend the event. Sadly, both had in turn been absent in body, if not in spirit, from the respective academy graduation of their opposite. Beyond that unfortunate reality, the representation of the Tillman family was less in number, as aside from the obvious of Savanah no longer being with them, Ashley didn’t make the trip. In explanation of why she would not attend, Ashley revealed that she had not yet emerged from her deep level of grief to the point of celebrating anything.
With understanding of her attitude, the remainder of the Tillman clan headed off for Colorado Springs without her. They arrived via their Gulfstream G280 during the early evening of May twenty-third, with a planned night return to Crockett on the twenty-fourth. Although the arrival was six hours after President Harwell had landed in Denver, they had no idea that he was in the area or what his schedule included.