Alaska Republik-ARC (32 page)

“What the hell is a
jet
?” Currie asked.

88

Tanana, Dená Republik

“I want Gennady Ustinov arrested and tried for murder!” Nathan Roubitaux bellowed.

“Who did he murder?” Grisha asked, keeping his tone neutral.

“One of my oper—one of my campaign workers! A man named Alexi—”

“Popovich,” Grisha finished for him.

“Then you already know about it. Why hasn’t this man been arrested?”

“For one thing, there’s still a war being fought. And from what I heard, your
campaign worker
challenged Mr. Ustinov to a duel and lost. There is the issue of personal responsibility here. Mr. Popovich shouldn’t have been so free with his challenge.”

“You’re siding with them against us?”

“Who are
them
and who is
us
, Nathan? I thought we were all on the same side here; the Athabascan People, the Dená Republik.”

A murmur eddied around the Council Chamber.

Grisha and Wing had been summoned to the chamber ostensibly to give a report on their meeting with the Tlingit Nation Army. But they knew much more needed to be dealt with than the stated subject; they had been warned.

***

Grisha, Wing, and Sergeant Major Tobias had arrived in Tanana the previous day to a welcoming committee of four: General Eluska, Lieutenant Colonel Blue Bostonman, Major Lauesen, USA, and a man named Waterman Stoddard.

Introductions had been quick and General Eluska summed up with, “We represent four situations: I’m military, Blue is politics, Major Lauesen is intelligence, and Mr. Stoddard is trouble.”

Grisha’s grin died quickly when he realized Paul wasn’t kidding. “So tell me.”

“There is a battle under way at Delta; we heard it might be finished, but nothing official has come through. The Republic of California has sent a—”

A quickly growing roar filled the air and a formation of four aircraft shot through the sky over them and dwindled into the distance.

“What the bloody hell!” Sergeant Major Tobias blurted.

“Couldn’t have timed that better if I tried,” General Eluska said with a grin. “That was part of the squadron of fighter jets the Republic of California has sent north.”

“Jets?” Wing asked, glancing at the sky again.

“I’ll handle that part, Colonel,” Major Lauesen said in a low voice.

“We still have about fifteen hundred people stationed at Bridge,” General Eluska continued, “and the Dená Army is pretty damn thin everywhere else. But we still have the ROC and the USA bolstering our pitiful numbers.” He nodded at Major Lauesen. “I think you should go next, Elstun.”

“Thank you, General Eluska. General and Colonel Grigorievich, a great deal has transpired since you left on your mission. And please allow me to congratulate you both on the results; I wish I could have been there.”

“How could you know what happened?” Wing said. “We just got here.”

“You came by submarine, Colonel. I received a report by radio.”

“The Tlingits said they would let us break the news,” Wing snapped.

“It wasn’t the Tlingits who told me,” Major Lauesen slightly blushed, “our intelligence did.”

“The US has a spy in the Tlingit Nation Army?” Grisha asked, sand in his tone.

“No more than I am, here, General. Military advisors arrived in Tlingit country about the same time you embarked on the
Mako
.”

“What else?” Grisha felt he had been ambushed by words, and he realized the battle hadn’t really started yet.

“The current situation in the Dená Republik is quite good. Colonel Buhrman’s 3rd PIR reports that the two Russian columns and the International Freekorps have surrendered; they were all decimated to the point of annihilation. An armored column fielded by the First People’s Nation cut off the retreat of elements of the IF, and are maintaining station.”

“Exactly where?” Grisha fought a sense of bewilderment.

Why did the First People’s Nation send an armored column into Dená territory?

“They’re about six miles outside of Delta.” Major Lauesen waited for a beat and then continued, “Conflict outside Alaska has been intense and devastating to the units involved. The Republic of California declared war on Japan, as did the Kingdom of Hawai’i.”

“I thought the Japanese attacked Kodiak,” Wing said in a puzzled tone.

“And Sitka,” Lauesen said with a nod. “They destroyed the Kodiak Naval Station but lost a destroyer at Sitka and have withdrawn all naval elements from Alaska, except for an Imperial Marine battalion they abandoned on Kodiak.”

“Why did they do that?” Grisha asked.

“The Republic of California Marine Corps parachuted a brigade into interior Kodiak and ambushed the Japanese marines advancing on the town of Kodiak from the rear. The battle has yet to end, but the Japanese have no hope of winning that one.”

“What else, Major Lauesen?” Wing bit off each word.

“Yes, let’s get back to the rest of the world,” he said blithely. “The reason Russia has largely ignored us here in Alaska is—”

“Ignored!” Wing snapped. “We’ve fought with everything and everyone we had!”

“No argument, Colonel. But my government anticipated a much larger war here. The Imperial Russian government sent token forces compared to what she had at her disposal.”

“That’s exactly what I’ve thought all along,” Grisha said. “I kept waiting for the real attack to begin.”

“It won’t. That charade they perpetuated on you down in California paid huge dividends.”

“My
trial
?” Grisha said through a grin.

“Yeah. The Russians didn’t think the Dená would actually pull you out of a field command to answer criminal charges. They planned to use your non-appearance as propaganda against both the ROC and the USA for supporting a criminal rebellion.”

“How would that really help them?” Grisha suspected there had been more to the situation than he had been told.

“Alliances in Europe were changing on a daily basis. The situation in the rest of North America hinged on European alliances. Russia lost political face when she had to withdraw her charge, not to mention your performance garnered high praise from most of the members present.”

“I’ll bet I can name the unimpressed ones,” Grisha said, relishing the moment.

“I suspect you’re correct. The CSA halted hostilities with the USA; they were losing anyway. Texas and New Spain are negotiating yet another border, which has been a typical Texan thing to fight about ever since they left the CSA over New Mexico back in 1852.”

“Stay on subject, Major,” General Eluska said with a hint of a smile.

“Right!” He flipped a page in his small notepad. “All saber rattling in Europe has ceased with the understanding that no more European troops would be sent to North Amerika, forestalling an arms race that would bankrupt all involved.”

“We’re like one of those little soldier pieces in that game you like, aren’t we?” Wing asked, staring into Grisha’s face.

“Yes, my love, we were nothing more than a pawn to most of the world. But we are a very fortunate pawn.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Major Lauesen said.

“Those airplanes?” Wing prompted.

“They are called jets. They don’t have a propeller. Don’t ask me how they work because I don’t know, probably magic. The Japanese are openly using them, as is the Republic of California.”

“What about the USA?” Grisha asked.

“Ours are still a military secret,” Lauesen said with a laugh.

“Which brings us to politics,” Blue said. “Dená politics.”

“Just when I was starting to relax,” Grisha said. He noticed that Major Lauesen had pulled Sergeant Major Tobias off to one side and was speaking earnestly into his cocked ear.

“And I’m part of that, too, General,” Waterman Stoddard said. He glanced at Blue and added, “President Roubitaux is trying to steal the constitutional convention.”

***

“It was my understanding we were here to report on our meeting with the Tlingit Nation Army, Mr. President,” Grisha said, staring into Nathan’s eyes, “not to dispense justice or right civilian wrongs.”

“We will get to your report in good time, General Grigorievich, but I feel it is imperative to inform you that a schism has developed in our cause and threatens all of the Dená Republik.”

“Politically, but not militarily, Mr. President?”

“It could lead to military action, General.”

“May I have a word in private, Mr. President?”

Nathan, caught flatfooted, opened his mouth but said nothing for a quarter minute. Grisha could almost see wheels spinning in the man’s head.

“Of course, General.” Nathan stood and indicated a door in the corner of the room.

Grisha opened the door and interrupted an intense embrace between a female staff sergeant and a male corporal. “You’re both dismissed. Go somewhere else for that.”

They fled and Nathan came through the door, his face like thunder. As soon as the door shut, he rounded on Grisha.

“You’re siding with the Village Faction, aren’t you?”

“I’m not siding with anyone, Mr. President. Why are you?”

“There seems to be a lot of people out there who do not fully understand the situation. They could endanger the constitutional process, make us look like fools in the eyes of the world.”

“The world already thinks we’re fools for fighting Mother Russia. Why worry now?”

“Don’t be clever with me, Grisha! This is serious business.”

“Getting shot at
isn’t
serious business, Nathan? I think you’ve forgotten that a lot of people have died to keep you in the position to which you seem to have become accustomed.”

Nathan had the good sense to back off, let the pomposity fall from his features and continue in a more contrite voice.

“Of course. Getting shot at is about as serious as it gets. I apologize if you feel I was denigrating anyone’s service or sacrifice.”

He is really smooth!
Grisha thought.
I almost believed that.

“Not to worry,” Grisha said. “But I must tell you that a great many people are of the opinion that you are out to steal the election.”

“To what purpose?”

“To load it with people you have picked. This has to be a democratic process, Nathan, or everything we have done is wasted.”

“Have you
met
Gennady Ustinov?” The sneer in his tone was unmistakable. “He’s a storekeeper in Old Crow who thinks he understands the whole political landscape of the Dená Republik.”

“Maybe he understands that you believe you invented it?”

“And thou, Brutus!”

“Don’t throw your university education at me, Nathan. I’m too damned tired to give a shit. And don’t give me that old ‘you’re either with me or against me’ stuff, because it isn’t true.

“But I do want you to remember that I took an oath, one that
you
administered, to serve the Dená Republik to the best of my abilities. And I plan to do just that—serve the Republik, not you personally.”

“Thank you for being so candid, General Grigorievich. I appreciate it.”

Before Grisha could respond, Nathan hurried back into the Council Chamber.

“Lunchtime, folks!” he called out as he went through the front door without slowing or looking at anybody else.

89

6 miles east of Delta

Magda and Pelagian sat in the back of the scout car as Major Smolst drove them and Colonel Buhrman toward the three tanks blocking the road. She held a machine gun with the barrel pointed forward and up. They could easily see the Kiowa war shield displayed on the tank hulls, even though the paint was pitted and dusty.

They had already passed at least three squads of soldiers. Many of them wore feathers and other bird and animal parts in their hair. Considering that all of them also wore camouflage battle dress it made for an interesting ride.

From between the tanks three men walked toward the scout car.

“That’s Yukon Cassidy!” Pelagian said as he hopped over the side of the car and hurried toward them. He grabbed the shortest of the three and they hugged, slapped each other on the back and danced in a circle all at the same time. Pelagian towered over his friend by more than a foot.

“I take it they’ve met before,” Colonel Buhrman said with a grin.

“They’ve been friends for over twenty years,” Magda said. “Cassidy is one of those people you either hate or love. Our family loves him.”

Pelagian and Cassidy stopped and spoke with the other two men. Pelagian turned and motioned for the others to join them.

In moments they all stood face to face.

“This is Colonel Buhrman of the Republic of California Army 3rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, Major Smolst of the Dená Army, late of the Troika Guard, and my incredible daughter, Magda, who is also a sergeant of scouts in the Dená Army.”

Magda didn’t wait any longer; she rushed forward and hugged Cassidy. “It’s so good to see you again! You just disappeared after the first part of the battle.”

She pulled back while her father introduced the other two men.

“Gentlemen, this is General Lawrence Spotted Bird and Colonel Franklin Fires-Twice of the First People’s Nation Army, and my old, dear friend Yukon Cassidy.”

After hand-clasping all around, Colonel Buhrman immediately went to the crux of the matter.

“What are you people doing this far north, General Spotted Bird?”

“May I ask you the same question, Colonel Buhrman?” General Spotted Bird asked.

Buhrman didn’t lose his grin. “
Touché!
We were invited by the Dená Separatist Army to provide aid and assistance. We’ve been providing both for over six months.”

“Commendable,” General Spotted Bird said. “We followed a bandit and his cohorts north.”

“With an entire armored column?” Major Smolst blurted. “You must have really been pissed.”

“Well put, Major. The International Freekorps went through our country like a plague of locusts, killing, looting, burning and fleeing when met with equal force. Then the British Canadians had the temerity to attack us with the fiction that they were merely passing through to get to the United States.

“We defeated the British and chased them back into their own country and, just for the hell of it, took a big part of their territory and kept it. However, we didn’t find
Major
Riordan since he had gone north where he thought we wouldn’t follow. He was wrong.”