Free Power Games: Operation Enduring Unity I by R A Peters Page A

wasn’t all balls, no brains. You didn’t survive the things he’d been through or climb so high in the ranks without having a good sense for which battles to pick. With the single TOW missile launcher on the Humvee’s roof, he couldn’t make much of a difference to the disaster ahead.
    Brown spent all of thirty seconds wondering where a single antitank missile could have the most impact. He chose his battle. In the confusion gripping the base and the rest of Florida, no one bothered stopping a lone Humvee heading north towards the border.

Chapter 4
Context
    24 January: 0830
    “Yes, that’s correct Dave. We’re just getting confirmation that the last of the president’s handpicked storm troopers have been captured. However, as you can see, they wreaked incredible destruction before the authorities could subdue them.”
    The curvy, angry blonde waved a microphone over her shoulder while the unbiased camera followed. The rows of body bags and several still burning vehicles in the distance were context enough for millions of stunned American viewers.
    Twenty feet away a hot, snobby brunette provided context for her studio. “Yes, that’s correct Tom. The local militia claim to have finished massacring the rest of the US soldiers. We still don’t know why they attacked the president’s peacekeepers, but as you can see, this is Governor Rhett’s vision of a New America.”
    The rows of body bags and several still burning vehicles in the distance confirmed the suspicions of millions of other stunned American viewers.
    Thirty feet away, an older reporter for a local news channel offered depth, context and reasoned analysis based upon the facts he could corroborate. Everyone changed the channel. His producer went into damage control mode. Before too long, the context-obsessed reporter was sent to find and harass, correction, interview the new widows.
    All these wild rumors flying over the internet and television, not to mention the straight up insanity pouring out of the radio, should have been easy to disprove. Problem is, retractions are simply not that profitable. The truth has slim margins. Any pangs of journalistic integrity the media suffered from were washed away by the never-ending flood of ever-greater provocations and senseless violence. If you weren’t first with a story, you were last.
    Disgusted as they were with the superficial, ADHD coverage of the “mainstream” media, so many people turned to the “alternative” media outlets. Millions of Americans were now getting updates on the most important and complicated events affecting their lives from the most respectable news source they could find. The internet.
    Thank God there weren’t any crazy people there.



Washington, DC
    24 January: 1945
    Self-proclaimed President Pierce’s smile lasted long after the last camera was shooed out of the Oval Office. The sitting president’s smile fell apart before the door even shut.
    “Wipe that smirk off your face. My resignation might help you, but you’re still a long way from sitting in that chair.” Already tired of the formalities, he leaned back on the Resolute desk and folded his arms.
    “How do you plan to fight the Supreme Court, Senator Dimone and the whole state of Florida? The rebels need to be dealt with–”
    Pierce came around the desk to admire the view. He laughed the president silent. “My God, man! What rebellion? Why should anyone have to fight? Four years without having to campaign has really left you out of political shape, hasn’t it? According to the Supreme Court, your vice president will be forced to resign as well. That drops the ball on the Speaker of the House.
    “And who do you think was appointed this morning to that vacant role? We’ll sidestep the Supreme Court ultimatum and congressional stubbornness by following the letter of the law. That will give us a legitimate president until we can hold new elections. Now, I’m sure being the man who prevented a civil war