by James Rosone
With his marching orders issued, Joe and Ashley left to get to work on putting together the information they had up to this point for the DOJ and the White House.
As they left, Director Polanski ran his fingers through his hair and then sat with his face in his hands, resting his head as he pondered the situation.
I just hope we aren’t too late, he thought.
Chapter 4
A Nation Divided
December 17, 2020
Washington, D.C.
White House
Looking into the cameras, the President did his best to remain calm. He looked at the teleprompter and saw the words for his speech, ready to be delivered to the nation and the world. In another moment, the lights would turn on and they would signal to him that they were live.
Three…two…one…
“My fellow Americans, the last six months, and in particular, the last eight weeks, have seen an unprecedented level of violence, disinformation and outright manipulation of our nation. In a few minutes, the Director of the FBI, the Director of the CIA and the Attorney General will outline what can only be described as an all-out attack on our nation.
“For decades, special interest groups and wealthy donors have sought to influence the levers of power in our government. This manipulation and control first started with campaign contributions. However, as we entered the twenty-first century, money became less influential. The new currency became data—information about each individual in our country, including you.”
He paused for a moment to let that last part sink in before he continued. “Through a herculean effort by the FBI, CIA and NSA, we have uncovered a plot by foreign actors to leverage the power of social media against you and our government. They’ve used carefully created, extremely detailed personal data profiles of Americans to turn us against each other. The FBI will explain in detail exactly how that has happened, and the CIA and NSA will follow up with an analysis of the groups and nations that have been involved in this conspiracy against the American people.
“What I can tell you now is that we as a country have been duped and coerced into fighting against each other, when we should be coming together as one people to stand against these outside factions that are striving to destroy us.
“America has been a prosperous and generous country that has continually stood up for freedom and been a beacon of hope to the hopeless. In the twentieth century, we stood firm against the destructive forces of fascism and communism. Now, in the twenty-first century, we must stand together against those who are looking to divide our nation and loot our wealth and our people.
“Sadly, there are forces within our own government who are part of this conspiracy. Some who were even part of my administration who have sought to undermine our government and have aligned themselves with these outside groups. Most of you are aware that Rear Admiral Harold Ward, the commander of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, along with roughly five hundred sailors, betrayed our country and their oath of office and sailed our carrier off to join this UN peacekeeping force. Sadly, a small portion of our military has also aligned themselves with this group of traitors and fled to Canada to join the growing UN army.”
The President looked down, more in disappointment than for any prerehearsed reason. After a brief pause, he returned his gaze to the cameras. “The bottom line is that a foreign power has manipulated us into fighting each other, and I’m asking all of you not to fall for it. I implore you not to take up arms against your fellow Americans.”
With growing conviction, the President added, “To Senator Tate and those Americans who have chosen to fight against our country—I’m offering you a forty-eight-hour amnesty proposition. If you turn yourselves in during these next two days, you won’t be tried for treason or prosecuted for sedition. However, after these forty-eight hours have passed, any American caught taking up arms against the federal government will be labeled an unlawful enemy combatant and an enemy of the state. You will be prosecuted. Going forward, any American joining this UN force in Canada will be labeled an unlawful enemy combatant. Your personal property and finances will be seized by the IRS, and you will be prosecuted by the Department of Justice upon your capture.
“To the governors who have recently created their own militia forces—disarm and disband. I don’t want to order the military to have to battle these groups, but I will, and they will be destroyed. We are a republic of fifty states; we aren’t going to break apart over political differences of opinion or because of outside manipulation. I will fulfill my duty to hold this country together, and we will hold a new presidential election when it is safe.”
Sachs paused for a moment. “Many people have insinuated that I have become a dictator, an emperor answerable to no one. I am not. I have not suspended the Constitution, nor have I suspended the rule of law. I have ordered the Senate to rapidly begin deliberations to fill the Supreme Court with new justices, and in the absence of Congressman Borq, who has fled to Canada to side with this UN peacekeeping force, I’m asking the newly confirmed Speaker of the House to set a new election date. Because Senator Tate has invalidated himself as a presidential candidate by taking up arms against our country, I’m proposing that the new election be held in November of 2022 to allow enough time for a new challenger from the Democratic Party to be chosen. To further show that I am not a dictator or seeking to take over the country, I am also announcing that I won’t seek reelection. My term will end following the new upcoming election. This is my last plea for peace. I ask that Senator Tate and his cohort accept my amnesty terms, so we can defuse this situation before it turns to war.
“To the UN Secretary-General, Johann Behr, the UN military commander, General Guy McKenzie, and to the member states who have contributed soldiers to this force—I warn you, if you attempt to interfere in our internal affairs, the United States will treat it as a foreign invasion. We will attack you, and we will destroy you. I won’t allow foreign troops to operate on our soil. This is your last chance. If you don’t heed my words, your forces will feel the full impact of American military might.”
Turning to look at the directors of the FBI, NSA, and CIA, the President gestured for them to join him at the podium. It was their turn to speak. “I now leave you in the capable hands of our senior law enforcement and intelligence officials to outline the case of this foreign interference and influence campaign that has brought our country to this dangerous precipice.”
As the other officials came forward, the President briefly nodded toward them and headed to one of the side exits, out of the empty briefing room. The President didn’t want any press in the room while he gave this monumental speech, and he didn’t want his directors harassed by the press while they gave their portions of the brief. This presentation was meant for the public, not the media.
If Senator Tate and the UN wouldn’t take him up on his offer for peace, then in forty-eight hours, the country would shift its focus to preparing for war.
*******
Four Hours Later
Washington, D.C.
White House, Situation Room
Ever since a military conflict had become a realistic possibility, the Situation Room had been slowly transformed into what looked like a war room of sorts. In addition to the TV monitors and electronic maps depicting the military situation, the walls were now covered in maps of the US-Canadian border, with little red and blue dots denoting various units. Little icons that looked like planes were pinned to red and blue squares, denoting airfields. On the side of the wall next to the map hung various clipboards that contained additional details of each of the units for quick reference. All this information had been collected and collated in a short span of time to show the men and women deciding the fate of the country exactly what they had to deal with and help them make the best decisions possible if hostilities should officially begin.
What caused the President the most alarm was how few combat forces they had arrayed near the border. While they’d placed
many of the divisions on alert, they were already experiencing difficulties in getting them ready to move up north from the south. Then they had to contend with the National Guard brigades and divisions, which were having their own problems. In the past, the US could spend months shuffling units around while it got itself mobilized for war. Sadly, they didn’t have months to get ready for whatever was coming.
Standing next to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the President commented, “I think our Canadian border is a bit naked, don’t you?”
General Austin Peterson just nodded. “I was thinking the same thing. We’ve had several of our divisions on alert for deployment for the past week. With your permission, I’d like to go ahead and order a full mobilization of our forces to the north. It’s going to take some time to get our forces moved across the country, and I’d like to get that ball rolling. I also think if we make a show of force, we may be able to convince the UN to stand down.”
“I have to agree, Mr. President,” affirmed Secretary of Defense McElroy. “We can order the 10th Mountain Group to take up positions along the border while we mobilize the rest of our guys further south.” He pointed at a spot on the map in the Atlantic. “We also have a problem here.”
“What do you mean by that?” asked the President, crossing his arms.
The Chief of National Operations, Admiral Chester Smith, interjected, “One of our submarines that was supposed to be supporting the blockade hasn’t checked in. It’s possible they crossed over to the other side.”
General Peterson swore under his breath. “What type of sub is it?” he demanded.
“One of our newer Virginia-class subs.”
McElroy shook his head. “Admiral, you’ve got to get control of your skippers. We can’t have more of our capital ships defecting like this. What help do you need to make sure this stops?”
Admiral Smith straightened up. “I’ve ordered NCIS to start interviewing all of our admirals and senior captains right away. I’ve also spoken with the Commandant of the Marine Corps and I’ve placed his command in charge of making sure we have no more defections. He’s placing Marines on every single naval ship and submarine going forward, with explicit orders to make sure this doesn’t happen again. That particular sub had set sail prior to that set of orders, but there shouldn’t be any further incidents.”
“OK, guys, it sounds like the admiral here has put a decent solution in place to handle this problem, so let’s move on,” said the President. “His branch isn’t the only one seeing defections. We’ve lost close to thirty percent of the National Guard units and roughly twenty percent of the active duty Army and Air Force, so this is cutting across all branches. Hopefully, this forty-eight-hour amnesty will convince many of them to return to duty. What units are we going to deploy to the border, and how soon can we get them there?”
General Vance Pruitt, the Army Chief of Staff, chimed in. “We’re looking to deploy the 3rd Infantry Division to the Northeast. The 4th Infantry Division will go to the Dakotas and the northern part of the country, and the 3rd Cavalry Regiment will deploy to the upper Midwest. This will leave us the 1st Cavalry Division, 1st Armored Division, and the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions as a mobile reserve should we need to deploy them. Frankly, I’m hoping that once these UN peacekeepers see how much combat power we’ve shifted to the Canadian border, they’ll back down and call this whole thing off. My only concern is what may happen with these individual state civil defense forces—these CDF groups could pose a problem for us if they opt to fight.”
“That’s a good point,” the SecDef replied. “Let’s make sure we’re coordinating our efforts with Homeland Security and the FBI. I’d like to largely let them handle these militia forces if they stay small. I’d rather keep the regular Army soldiers focused on staring down this foreign army for the time being instead of going after their fellow Americans.”
Taking all the information in, the President weighed the different options and authorized the rapid deployment of active-duty forces from their home bases to the border. One way or another, they’d know in forty-eight hours if there would be peace or if conflict was inevitable.
*******
Geneva, Switzerland
United Nations Headquarters
Secretary-General Johann Behr sat at the head of the long board table as he surveyed the representatives of the Security Council. The empty seat for the representative from the United States seemed to be talking to him. The US ambassador to the UN had been pulled back to Washington when it became clear the UN force was not going to back down from President Sachs’s forty-eight-hour warning. Johann had also ordered the headquarters relocated to their alternate location in Geneva, to make sure none of the diplomats would be in any immediate danger from the coming conflict.
The British ambassador, Sir John Grant, shook his head in disgust. “This is utter madness. You’re going to lead the world toward a needless war that will solve nothing and cost the lives of tens of thousands of people!” he shouted.
“What is utter madness is allowing that illegitimate dictator to remain in power over the most powerful nation on earth,” shot back the German ambassador.
“Poland won’t support this authorization for force,” asserted Ambassador Duda. “You may think Sachs is politically wounded and weak, but he still commands the most powerful military in the world. He’s already ordered many of their divisions to the Canadian border as we speak. If you go down this path, Mr. Secretary-General, you will destroy the UN.” The American military forces that were normally on rotation in Poland had already been pulled back to America. Their loss had hurt the Polish economy and put a hold on a growing military relationship between the US and Poland.
“Enough! America has been a global bully for decades,” retorted Ambassador Karlov of Russia. “They’ve waged endless wars across the world, deposing leaders they disagree with and looting the developing world of its natural resources in the name of profits. It’s time the world unites together and deals with them once and for all.”
“That’s rich, coming from you!” shouted the Polish ambassador. “Especially considering that you stole Crimea from Ukraine, along with the eastern half of their country. America is the only country that kept you from invading the rest of Eastern Europe.”
“The Crimea has always been a part of Russia,” Karlov responded icily. “It was Ukraine who stole it from us when they opted to form their own country after the fall of the Soviet Union.” The two men stared daggers at each other from across the table.
Ambassador Liu Jieyi of China slammed his hand down on the table. “Enough! We have a renegade president in charge of America who has turned the world upside down these last four years,” he asserted angrily. The rest of the room bristled. This was a very unusual outburst of emotion, coming from Ambassador Liu. “We’ve been given an opportunity to rid ourselves of this buffoon with the support of at least part of their country and military. We need to seize this opportunity now. China is ready and willing to commit whatever financial and military aid is needed to see this through to victory.”
Standing, Johann leaned forward, placing his hands on the table so it appeared like he was looking down on them. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m not going to make any long-winded speeches or explanations for why the UN should act. These facts have already been explained. President-Elect Marshall Tate and many members of the American government are currently living in exile in Canada because they have been branded enemies of the state by President Sachs. We have support from at least thirty, maybe even as high as forty percent of the American people. We must act now to stop this madman from taking full dictatorial control of the most powerful military on earth. If we don’t, the twenty-first century may be a darker period in human history than the last one. I formally put a motion to move forward with forcefully removing President Sachs to a vote.” He sat down confidently.
It took roughly five minutes for the vote to be completed. When it was all said and done, only the UK
, Poland and the Dominican Republic voted against the resolution. The UK, however, used its veto vote, preventing the motion from passing in the UN Security Council. Johann had already known that this would happen and had moved the resolution to the General Assembly for a final vote. That evening, the measure passed, with 130 nations voting in favor of removing Sachs while 63 members voted against it.
With the measure approved, Johann sent a coded message to General McKenzie to move forward with Operation Spark.
Chapter 5
Operation Spark
December 20, 2020
Rosslyn, Virginia
Key Bridge Marriott
“This plan had better work or we’re all dead men,” Joe said as he pulled the Javelin antitank guided missile launcher out of one of the black hockey bags. He immediately went to work on setting up the system.
Responding without so much as glancing at the man next to him, Lucky retorted, “Shut up and just make sure that thing is ready.”
Joe Miller and James Cochran, a.k.a. “Lucky,” were part of an eight-man team that had been directed to make a strategic hit. While they were all prior military, they were currently working for an Irish private military company that had been hired to protect President-Elect Marshall Tate.
“What are we going to do if they have an armed helicopter with them providing overwatch?” asked Joe. He finished setting up the anti-tank missile, then sat with his back against the lip of the roof. His legs were extended, the anti-tank missile sitting across them.