The Alpha Chronicles (43 page)

“I would.”

Terri stepped closer, her voice going low. “Over my dead body, Colonel. You can take that message back to Washington – over my dead body. We welcome trade and barter. Value given for value earned is acceptable. Seizure, taxation or confiscation is not. We started one revolution in this country over taxation without representation, I’m sure the current president doesn’t want to start another.”

The Colonel wasn’t intimidated, “Terri, be careful. You’re not dealing with rational men. The beast is cornered, wounded
, and irrational. It can strike without warning. You will lose in any conflict. A platoon of tanks, a few air strikes and four attack helicopters would wipe out everything you’ve worked so hard to build. This beast is dangerous, unpredictable, and desperate.”

Bishop spoke for them all, “I’d rather see what we’ve built destroyed than give it away, Colonel. I’m confident 99 percent of our citizens feel the same way. There’s too much of what caused our country to fail in Washington’s message. Too much of the old school.”

Smiling, the Colonel nodded his understanding. “I’m glad to hear you say that, Bishop. I’m going to return and try to talk the president into working with you, not trying to take over. I’m not sure of my chances. I hope you all know that I’m with you, but that doesn’t mean my reasoning will carry the day.”

Terri was back to staring out the window again. After a long moment
of silence, she turned and declared, “We need an army. We need a military that will make anyone think twice about pulling the type of bullshit the Colonel is speaking of.”

Fort Bliss, Texas

May 20, 2016

“Sir, you’d better come to the front gate. We have some, ummm, unusual activity going on.”

“What kind of activity, Lieutenant?”

“There is a woman down here claiming to know General Westfield. She has several large trucks with her and is asking for a meeting with the base commander.”

“Trucks?”

“Yes, sir. Semi-trucks… like you’d see on the interstate or something.”

“Who is this woman, Lieutenant?”

“She said to tell the general that ‘Terri is here to see him’… and sir, she has about 300 armed men with her.”

“What?”

“Yes, sir… that’s my estimate.”

“Stand by, Lieutenant.”

The major set the phone down on his desk and promptly made for the general’s door. Knocking loudly on the frame, he waited until the base commander looked up and acknowledged his presence. “Yes, Major?”

“Sir, I hate to disturb you, but I just received a very odd call from the guard post at the front gate. I
t seems a woman by the name of Terri is requesting an appointment with you by name. In addition, sir, the LT on duty claims she has 300 armed men and several semi-trailers with her.”

The general tilted his head, finally responding. “Terri? As in Terri and Bishop?”

“No idea, sir.”

“Well, let’s go see what all this is about, Major.”

The HUMVEE braked to a halt in the midst of a bustle of activity. The lieutenant had decided that the armed force so close to his post was a potential threat, and requested reinforcements. Two rifle squads answered the call, and there was a tank on the way.

General Westfield exited his transport with his usual air of authorit
y, returning salutes and striding briskly to the iron bars and concrete barricades that blocked the entrance to his base. Peering through, he immediately shook his head and chuckled aloud.

Sitting in a lawn chair 75 feet in front of his base was a single woman wearing a bright pink maternity outfit and sipping what appeared to be an iced beverage of some sort. She was adorned with oversized
sunglasses, a floppy beach hat resting on her head.

“Did you stop
by to invite me to the beach?” the general shouted out.

Terri rose from her perch and se
t the glass down on the pavement beside her chair. Despite the large baby-bump, she swayed gracefully toward the gate, her smile warm and genuine. “I thought you military types were gentlemen, General, yet your men kept me cooling my heels out in that hot sun.”

The general squeezed through the small walkway and approached the brightly colored young lady. He started to extend his hand, but Terri canceled the gesture by opening her arms for a hug. Embarrassed but unable to resist, he returned the embrace.

“Where’s Bishop?”

“Oh, he’s over there with all those men. He was concerned there was still a warrant out for his arrest. I told him he was overreacting, but he decided to be shy for a bit.”

The general’s gaze followed Terri’s pointing finger to where three large semi-trucks were parked about 300 meters from the gate. The base commander could see dozens of men in the vicinity and no shortage of rifle barrels pointing in the air.

“Please, invite your husband to join us. I give you my word as an officer and gentlemen - I won’t have him arrested.”

“General, I’ll be happy to arrange a reunion, but I didn’t travel all this way just so you men could exchange war stories. I came here to talk business.”

The general’s senses were on high alert. Terri was acting strangely, her attitude bordering on cocky. He had a million questions regarding the trucks and the armed men. His curiosity overrode his concerns, mostly because of Terri’s projection of self-confidence and partly because the whole scene was just plain weird.

“Business? What kind of business?”

“Why don’t we get out of this hot sun, General? Why don’t we go over to my office where we can discuss things in comfort?”

“Your office?” the general replied, thinking Terri was joking.

Terri pointed back toward the idling semi-trailers. “I have an air conditioned Class A motorhome with cold drinks in the fri
dge. It
is
a little extravagant, but it makes a good place to conduct business and allows this pregnant girl to travel comfortably.”

The general was still trying to digest it all, his mind reeling from the
peculiarity of the scene before him. “Terri, what’s this all about? I’ve not seen you or Bishop for months, and all of a sudden you show up at my base with a head full of attitude and a parade full of weird.”

“General, I have a proposition for you. The trucks are a sample and to prove I can deliver what I would like to propose.”

“Okay, fair enough. Why don’t you come on into
my
office, and we can talk.”

Smiling at the uncomfortable man, Terri responded, “General, you have
my
word as the Ambassador of the Alliance of West Texas that I won’t have
you
arrested. Besides, I have brought along a few key players that I’m sure will add value to our meeting.”

“The
Ambassador… of what? What the hell are you talking about, Terri?”

“Just come along and hear me out, General. No
harm can come from listening. Can it?”

It took a while for the base commander to sort it all out. His gaze moved from the gate to the convoy and back to Terri as he processed it all. Finally, he shrugged his shoulders and muttered, “Very well.”

Terri took off her floppy hat and waved it above her head. Turning to the general, she explained. “I’m due in two weeks and walking long distances isn’t part of the equation. You’ll forgive me, sir, but I’d prefer to ride.”

A golf cart raced from behind t
he convoy of trucks, the driver stopping while the general and Terri seated themselves. As soon as the passengers were ready, the man zipped the electric car around and headed back to the waiting line of trucks and men.

“Pull up behind the first truck, please.” Terri asked the driver.

After stopping beside the first trailer, Terri and her guest exited the small vehicle while another man opened one of the trailer’s rear doors. Inside, along one wall were pallets full of burlap-colored bags, each one stamped with the bright red label “BEANS.” Along the other wall, sides of beef hung from two rows of hooks, the frosty air of the truck’s refrigeration unit misting around the meat. “All three trucks are full of food, General. We are now producing more than we consume. We can provide more than enough to feed your entire base and a significant portion of El Paso.”

Stunned, the base commander seemed to have difficulty turning away from the cargo. “Where… how… what the hell is th
is Alliance of West Texas, Terri?”

Hooking the hesitant officer by the arm, Terri gently guided him back toward the waiting cart. “I’ll explain everything, General. Let’s
get inside some more comfortable accommodations.”

The humming ride deposited its passengers at a large motorhome idling at the rear of the convoy. Despite the shock of the moment,
the general remembered his manners and opened the door for Terri while helping her up the steps.

Inside sat Bishop, Nick,
Diana, and DA Gibson, all of them rising when the general entered the camper. After introductions and handshakes had been completed, Terri asked everyone to be seated, some of the attendees opting for the dinette chairs while others found the couch and loveseat that dominated the space.

Terri began, “General, some four months ago, the small Texas towns of Meraton and Alpha held elections. Electrical power
had been restored, and a full recovery was in process. Before long, Fort Stockdale joined in and then finally Midland Station, and Odyssey. The small farming communities along the Rio Grande came to the party as well. During this process, it was decided someone was needed to coordinate the commerce and trade activity among the different towns as well as facilitate sharing of resources for municipal projects. A sort of state government, if you will.”

While Terri paused to take a sip of her lemonade, DA Gibson took over. “Gen
eral, Terri was appointed Ambassador by the leadership of these multiple municipalities. According to the Constitution of the great state of Texas, we are now the only legitimate government in the area. Additionally, Terri is being courted as our first governor.”

The general looked around from face to face, not
sure that he understood what he was hearing. “So, what’s this have to do with me? Are you offering to supply Fort Bliss? I’m sure the United States could arrange a supplier agreement with your… whatever you want to call this organization of yours.”

Nick took his turn. “And how would you compensate us, General?”

“Why we would pay you like any other military supplier… with checks from the Department of the Treasury.”

Everyone around the table laughed at the rema
rk, the attitude troubling the Army officer. “Checks?” asked Terri. “And where might we cash these checks, sir?”

Flustered, General Westfield threw up his hands. “I don’t know. It’s not my responsibility to negotiate supply deals. That’s handled out of the Pentagon.”

Terri cleared her throat and the room became silent. After toying with her glass, she raised her head and stared intently at the military man across the table. “Sir, we want Fort Bliss. We want the forces and facilities under your command.”

“What!” t
he General exploded. “That’s preposterous! I already took an oath to the United States of America, and I don’t intend on breaking it. If that’s what this is all about, I’m afraid you’re wasting your time.”

Bishop let the man’s words settle and then gestured in the direction of the front gate. “When was the last time you received any resupply, General? When was th
e last time you heard from the Commander in Chief?”

“That’s got nothing to do with this, Bishop, and you know it. You
, of all people, should understand that I can’t just go around joining whatever rebel cause comes knocking at my door. Your little band of misfits isn’t any different than the Independents and their harebrained scheme.”

“That’s not entirely accurate,
General,” chimed in DA Gibson. “Our government is constitutionally elected and completely legitimate. The previous governor’s term expired in November. By rule of law, the state was in violation of our founding document. This administration is entirely within the law.”

Bishop didn’t give the g
eneral a chance to respond, “Besides, General, we’re not asking you to swear any allegiance. We’re asking you to surrender and avoid causalities.”

“What! What in God’s
name are you talking about, Bishop? Are you mad? Why, just one of my tanks could roll right out that front gate and wipe your forces from the face of the earth. I have over 200 of the most potent war machines on the planet, son. I’ve got 24,000 fighting men to back them up.”

“Yes, that’s correct… you could. We wouldn’t stand a chance against your forces. But how long can you last, General? We know you’re running low on food, fuel… just about everything. If it comes to a fight,
you
know we’re not going to let any trucks in. There’s no way you can be resupplied from the air – so how long can your current situation last?”

The General’s face turned red
, and he threw his hands into the air. “This is ridiculous!” Pointing his finger around the table, he pushed back. “You know what I should do? I should roll right out here and confiscate this food. I should then send men into your towns and liberate both the people and the supplies that are found. That’s what I should do. The Alliance of West Texas - my ass.”

Nick
grunted, his voice cool and calm. “We anticipated that might be your reaction, sir. Let me advise against that course of action. We are over 100,000 people strong. Every last man and woman will fight you to the death. We will burn our food and fuel before we let you take it. You can’t win that fight. Our forces will fade into the desert and hide, waiting until your tanks run out of go-juice and ammo. We’ll scorch the earth in front of you and harass your lines of supply. You’ll accomplish nothing but extreme loss of life on both sides.”