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  “This is a waste,” he said. “We are optimistic that all of this can be settled diplomatically. Our ambassador has personally met with Borodin and the negotiations are going well. Nevertheless, I do not think we would agree that everyone should fight on soil other than our own. To use up French troops in Poland or elsewhere would mean fewer available to defend our own borders,” he stated. It was obvious by his arrogance that he had little regard for the others in the room.

  “So you would allow the rest of us to bleed while you remained behind your borders, hoping we will be successful,” said Sir Richard. “General, did you not learn anything from the last war? You did practically nothing to prepare because you figured your Maginot Line would be sufficient. We all know what happened. General, France has a marvelous army. On several occasions you have held exercises with the other NATO nations and it performed brilliantly. We need the force of that army, navy and air force to make all this work. You may be correct, that it will be worked out diplomatically, but we cannot take that risk. You see, we took such a risk, and Chamberlin came back with a slip of paper declaring peace in our time. We paid the price for that complacency. That is why we feel it is vitally important to make these moves and plans now,” he said calmly. Sir Richard was fed up with the stalling the French had been doing, but it wouldn’t be British to lose his temper, especially not now.

  “Actually, I like the ideas Admiral Hammond put forward. They use what we had planned and added to them immeasurably. His ideas to use our technologies could be the turning point for all of this. Yes, it may be for nothing, but then a lot of war planning is just that,” said Dortmund. “We have actually developed a few drones of our own to be a part of this. It makes sense,” he said.

  “If I may, Italy is almost on the sidelines in all of this, but we feel threatened just as much as the rest of you. For that reason alone, we will be providing our assets. We feel it is all or nothing,” said Admiral Giuseppe Lagonda, the Italian representative. “I have brought these ideas to my government and they are feeling confident that this is the best form of action.”

  General LeMonde gave a Gaelic shrug. “Then who is to lead it? France feels that to have anyone but a Frenchman in charge might be detrimental to the diplomatic effort. We need someone with a steady hand and a sensitivity to the needs of all our European nations,” he said.

  Sir Richard looked as if he might explode, but it was Roger Hammond who spoke. “General LeMonde, you are quite correct. We do need someone who is sensitive to the needs and goals of Europe. We need someone who is fair and just in their decisions. More importantly, we need someone who balances all these things and still gets the ultimate job done. That job will be to defeat the aims of any enemy, whether it is Russia or any other nation. But ultimately, that decision will be made by our political leadership. If it were left to us, we would probably argue until we were overrun. At this point, we need to go back to our leaders and let them know what we are planning, then they will need to meet and decide which direction we shall go, and who will lead us. We are all free to give our best advice, but they must make the choice or no one will be in charge. Do we all agree on this?” he asked.

  The men and women in the room nodded. “It is all we can do. Let us all hope the decisions will be made before it is too late,” said General Alma Gutierro of the Spanish Air Force.

  LeMonde nodded as well. “Oui, certainement,” he said. “Let the people with the authority do something for a change,” he said with a slight grin.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, it has been a pleasure, once again,” said Sir Richard to close out the meeting. “We shall meet back here in two weeks’ time.”

  The officers got up from the table and said their good byes. Sir Richard watched LeMonde leave the room then walked over to Hammond. “Roger, nice job with LeMonde. I was ready to bite the bugger’s head off,” he said.

  “I noticed you getting upset, but we have more to deal with than egos. I’m hoping out leadership picks someone good to lead this effort. What about you?” Hammond asked.

  “Posh. I haven’t the patience. Put me in charge of a fleet. Slogging around in the mud isn’t my cup of tea,” Sir Richard grunted. “Mind you, I hope that gal Richardson is with us. She’s top notch.”

  “I agree. Claire can get the job done, but her place might be better at the head of her troops. I personally hope she’s head of the American Forces. That would give them something to think about,” Hammond said.

  Sir Richard chuckled. “It might at that. Well, I must be off. There’s a plane waiting for me to usher me back home. What about you?”

  Hammond looked at his watch. “Mine leaves in three hours. Just enough time to gather my bags and hop aboard. After next meeting I may stop a few days in London. If so I may hitch a ride,” he said happily.

  “Right! I know a few pubs we can crawl to. Helps take the edge off what we do. Besides, I know of a few from your stop a few years ago who wouldn’t mind sharing a pint or two with us. Could be a fun time. Let me know if it’s a go and you can stay at my flat,” Sir Richard said while slapping Hammond on the back. Hammond grabbed his cover and left the room, but Sir Richard held back a minute. He cornered Dortmund. “Helmut, I was wondering what you thought about someone to lead this parade. Who would you recommend?”

  Dortmund laughed and raised both hands. “It won’t be a German, people still have rough feelings, but I had someone in mind to lead it. As a matter of fact, I am going to recommend him to the Chancellor tomorrow,” he said.

  “I wonder if we are looking at the same fellow,” Sir Richard said. Dortmund told him, and indeed, they were.

  CNN

  “Good evening, everyone, I am Candice Morton and here are the top headlines. Near riots broke out in Sacramento, California today as residents of the state angrily protested in front of the Governor’s office. Some thirteen million people were impacted by the insurance company scandal and many residents, especially those from the southern California area came to Sacramento to voice their anger. Governor Yost has refused to step down and the Attorney General for California is continuing with his indictment. In the meantime, President O’Bannon, in an effort to aid the people affected by the insurance scandal, has promised additional federal help to get people housed and fed.”

  “I have asked the congress to provide three billion in aid to the people of southern California, to help them rebuild and reestablish their lives. At the same time, our military will continue to help the people of this region by providing food and medical aid where it is needed,” O’Bannon said on camera from the White House Press Room.

  “President O’Bannon also had this to say about Mayor Patricia Hammond’s efforts during the disaster.”

  “Mayor Hammond should be commended. She got her people the help they sorely needed quickly and effectively, and she continues to do what she can where she can. I can say that because of her efforts, the people of San Pedro, California, have been able to recover quicker than anywhere else in California. So, my hat’s off to Mayor Hammond.”

  “At the same time, the tent city that has become Los Angeles continues to grow. The Army has provided thousands of temporary shelters for its citizens and only now are the streets becoming passable in some areas. More news after this break.”

  Newport News, Virginia

  Tim Reardon sat in his office sweating out the details of building two aircraft carriers, four destroyers and a cruiser when the buzzer on his phone went off. He grabbed the phone and let out a gruff, “Reardon.”

  “Mr. Reardon, there’s an admiral her that asked to speak to you. He doesn’t have an appointment, but says he knows you. His name is Shransky,” said his assistant.

  The headache went away and a smiled came to Reardon’s face. “Send him on in, Nancy.”

  Vice Admiral Mike Shransky entered the room and was met by Reardon almost at the door. Reardon gave him a bear hug. “Mike! Damn it’s good to see you again. How’s it been?”

  “Tim, it’s
great. I see you’re still in business,” Shransky joked.

  Reardon ushered him to a chair. “Yea, I manage to scratch out a living. What brings you down here? Don’t tell me you want to build battleships again,” Reardon said with glee.

  Shransky laughed. “No, but there’s something going on and I’m checking around to see where I need to go. Since you know everybody in the world, I thought I’d come talk to you,” he said.

  “Never fails, you navy guys keep running back to us civilians. What can I help you with?”

  Shransky became more serious. “Tim, this is one you will have to keep to yourself. We have developed something that is a game changer. It’s a synthetic cloth that actually absorbs RF energy like some sort of sponge. We’ve been working on it up at David Taylor and it’s even more impressive than we realized. Our problem is, with all the things going on, we may need to get this stuff manufactured and on our ships and planes as quick as we can. David Taylor just doesn’t have that capability. So, I guess I need three things. First, I need someone who can take a chemical compound and make the synthetic strands. Second, I need someone who can weave it into a cloth, and third, I need either a kiln or ovens that can heat the thing to at least 450 degrees. It all has to be done in the utmost secrecy and as quickly as possible. Who might you think could do this?” Shransky asked.

  Reardon thought a moment. “I can think of a few, but the big problem is actually going to be finding someone with the looms. How big a piece are we talking about here?”

  “We calculate the largest piece might just have to be ten feet square or at least 100 square feet. The dimensions may change to fit the ships or aircraft. The actual cloth will need to be doubled since it needs two layers of continuous cloth. We fold it over and then coat it with a plant resin,” said Shransky.

  A smile returned to Reardon’s face. “Hang on a second,” he said to Shransky as he picked up the phone. “Nancy, get me Hank Thomas over at Dow Corning, please.” He turned back to Shransky. “Mike, Hank just opened a new facility across the creek to help us with some of our efforts. I know there’s a big chemical component and some of what he does involved some weaving. I don’t think he has any ovens, but I got a shop full of the damn things. Maybe we can work something out.” The phone rang next to his desk and he picked it up. “Hank? It’s Tim. Look, have you got a few minutes, I want to bring somebody by there to talk a little business. He needs to see your operation. Is that okay?” He paused a moment. “Great. Give us about ten minutes and we’ll be there. Thanks Hank,” Reardon said as he hung up the phone.

  In just over ten minutes the two men were in Thomas’ office. A half hour later, a sole source contract was begun to begin manufacturing on a much larger scale.

  Galveston, Texas

  The first ships had left the previous week bound for France. This was the second wave. Under a contract with Hyundai, and two other automakers, eight of the large car carriers made their way through the channel and out to sea along with four cruise ships. Onboard were the tip of the American spear, the First Armored Division and the First Cavalry Division. Nearly emptying their bases in Fort Hood and Fort Bliss, the men and machines were packed into the ships. Like in the Korean War, temporary berthing had to be set up on the upper decks, but down below was a full division of tanks, trucks, guns and equipment. For General Moynahan, it was like what they had gone through in Korea. It would be tight, but well worth it to try and stop the Russians.

  The trip was a gamble. If just two of the ships were sunk, a huge part of the American effort would go down with them, but there was no time. The hard part was moving all of the men and equipment at night. Every effort was made to move the troops as secretly as possible. Families were told the men were going on exercises. Reservists were called in to man the bases and make it look as if the divisions were still there. It had been a monumental task, but now it looked like the normal traffic in and out of Galveston. They would have a hard time keeping the secret once the ships turned up in Brest, but that was someone else’s problem.

  Moynahan sat back in his cabin and thought about what was going on. The 101st and the 82nd Airborne divisions were going to be leaving for Great Britain in just five days. But he was a little miffed that the first convoy had left from Morehead City, North Carolina, the week before. It carried the Second Marine Division. There was talk about sending the First Marine Division as well. Moynahan grinned. If they were smart they would send Claire Richardson in with them. Between the two of them, they had swept through the North Korean troops as if they were nothing more than tissue paper. It would be nice to see her again, he thought.

  It would take a day to get through the Gulf of Mexico. He hoped the Atlantic would be a smooth ride.

  The White House

  Seated around the room were the executives of all the major media outlets in the United States. All of them were familiar with each other. They had worked closely with both the government and each other during the Korean War and each had an idea of why they had been asked to come today. After a few minutes, the President came in the room and took his seat at the table.

  “Good morning,” the President started. “It’s nice to see you all again. I wanted to bring you all in to talk about how we should deal with something that is happening in Europe. Before I do, I am requesting that none of what we discuss will be made public. Like in Korea, we do not want someone to know what we are doing and what we plan. So I am asking you here for your advice and to help me with some decisions I have to make,” he said.

  Brad Freeman from CBS News raised his hand, interrupting the President. “Mister President, are you asking us not to report things again?” he asked.

  “Actually, I wanted to ask if that was necessary,” the President said. “Let me share with you what is going on. As you have reported, the Russians have, over a period of four years, re-annexed a number of former Soviet bloc nations. Using the excuse that they were looking out for the best interests of ethnic Russians, they have spread through the eastern parts of Europe. It started in the Ukraine and now it is happening in Poland. The Poles want no part of this and as members of NATO, are asking for help. Unfortunately, if Russia attacks Poland, the NATO nations will respond with force.”

  “My God, that’s just how the Second World War started,” said one of the men. There were other murmurs around the table.

  “You are quite correct, and that’s what bothers us most. Just like back then, our diplomatic efforts are going nowhere. We’ve been working hard on this, but nothing is jelling. For your information, I asked the Russian President for a summit so that we could discuss what is going on. We were turned down flat. I am afraid we don’t have many options left. I fear that in a short period of time you will be reporting on another war,” the President admitted.

  The voices around the table were raised again as the men expressed their anguish. Then Bob Kelso from CNN raised his hand. “Mister President, my people have been seeing the same thing. Word is coming back to my offices of all the unrest and it appears to be planned occurrences. So if this is going to be, we need to come together like we did last time. From my point of view it worked very well,” he said.

  “Not again,” screeched one of the men. “I will not be dictated to by a government! I have the right to report what I hear and know, and it is against the constitution for anyone to say otherwise,” he nearly screamed.

  “Damnit Chaz, what part of this don’t you understand?” Kelso exclaimed. “We are getting ready to go to war and this man is asking our help. Don’t you remember the last time? This man gave us more information than anybody and then simply asked us not to report something without checking in first. We in this room planned out exactly what would be reported and what would be withheld as our part of the war effort. As I recall, the President didn’t ever tell us not to report something, just to hold the story until the actions were completed. Now I don’t know about you, but I personally don’t want our people killed because some reporter shot off his
mouth at the wrong time and place. And one other thing,” he said pointing his finger at the man, “We found out loud and clear that the American Public were behind what we did. Since we are supposedly doing what we do as a part of the people’s right to know, then we have to admit that sometimes the public doesn’t want to know some things. If you or anyone else in this room decides to move otherwise, you may find out that the public may no longer support their news organization.” Kelso stopped a second and regained his composure. “Mister President, I found that the time we worked together in the Korean War was the most gratifying of my entire career. You were open and honest the whole time. Not once did I ever feel we had let the public down, and not once did we ever publish information that might hurt our people. I, for one, would welcome that relationship again. And that includes the fact that the First Cav and First Armored just left Galveston,” he said with a wink. “We’re holding onto that story,” he said smiling.

  President O’Bannon smiled and shook his head. “Well, I would like to work together again, but during the last war, I found that in many cases you withheld stories on your own. Just like you did today, Bob, you assumed the responsibility and did the job yourselves. I was going to ask if you were willing to take that responsibility,” he said.

  Brad Freeman shook his head. “No, sir, as you also saw today, there are some hotheads who just may not be ready to take that responsibility on. Let’s go back to what we did last time. We’ll call this office if we see anything and check first. I take it our cable and satellite outlets will keep our feet to the fire?” he asked with a grin.