Betrayal in the Ashes William W. Johnstone

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.You bet it will be leaked.”“If it hasn’t already been leaked,” Frank Service added.“File your stories,” Ben told them.But much to the chagrin of Rita Rivers, Immaculate Crapums, and their counterparts in Congress, no great hue and cry of alarm or dismay came from many sections of the battered country when the news broke the next day.The residents of the SUSA-of all colors-shrugged it off and went right on living, as did many of the people who lived outside of the SUSA.Those who lived in the SUSA knew that it was people, not governments, who must live together.They also knew that if one group of people did not wish to live with another, no government on the face of the earth could pass enough legislation to make those groups51like each other and, ultimately, it wouldn’t work.Legislation alone cannot give birth to understanding and compassion.It takes people who are willing to give it everything they’ve got to make it work.It takes laws that a solid majority agree with and abide by-not some 51/49 percent split-and those laws must be administrated and enforced fairly and equally to all, regardless of social or economic status.It takes people of all colors and creeds and religion, each willing to go out of their way to respect the rights of the other, and not go whining and complaining to this or that group that it was society’s fault because Jimmy or Jane or Leroy or Jose or Bubba or Billy Bob embarked on a crime spree.Governments can’t do it.But people can.Transport planes began flying into Missouri just hours after Ben spoke with Smithson; and true to his word, Smithson had troops waiting on the tarmac, ready to go.“How are they dressed?” Ben radioed.“Standard BDUs, General.”“You were expecting them to be dressed in Confederate gray, maybe?” Chase asked, sitting by Ben’s desk, drinking a cup of hot tea.“It wouldn’t have surprised me.” Ben sat down and rolled a cigarette, conscious lof the doctor frowning at him.But this time Chase let it slide without one of his acid comments about Ben’s smoking.The big transport planes being used to bring Smithson’s people in were capable of carrying several hundred men and their equipment, and they would be flying night and day.Ben’s Batt comms were coming in for another meeting52since the Rebels were going to be re-positioned.Ben opened a map case and stared at the map.He shook his head.“This is going to be one hell of a front, Lamar.”It sure was.Just over 800 kilometers in length.Ben would have over fifty thousand troops under his command against Bottger’s several hundred thousand troops.Ben had been busy revamping his battalions.He was now adding a short company to each battalion, about half-strength, making that Headquarters Company.Thermopolis’ people could no longer handle the strain of thousands of troops.Ben had named Thermopolis’ command to be a highly modified Division HQ of the Rebels.The resistance fighters would be 2nd Division; Smithson’s troops, 3rd Division; and Colonel Flanders’ men, a regimental combat team.Ben worked the rest of the afternoon positioning troops and then went to bed.Ben threw a pencil on the desk.“Damn, I hate paperwork!”“I’ll trade my job for yours,” Thermopolis said, walking in the room.“I want a frontline command, Ben.”“You’re too good at what you do to be replaced,” Ben said.“Sit down and have a cup of coffee.”The hippie-turned-warrior poured a mug of coffee and sat down.“I don’t do jack-crap, Ben.That’s my wife that does all the tracking and plotting and detail work.Rosebud, not me.”Ben shook his head.“I need you where you are, Therm.”53Thermopolis muttered under his breath and then resigned himself to the fact that Ben was not going to move him up front.The Batt comms began drifting in, coming from all over western Europe, greeting Ben and Therm and pouring coffee and finding seats.“The first of Smithson’s troops have landed,” Ike said.“I was told they look pretty good.I just talked to Mike Richards.Most of the troops are between twenty-five and forty.Solid and steady.”“That’s what I like to hear.”The Russian Bear, General Georgi Striganov strolled in, waved at everybody, pulled a mug of coffee, and sat down.Ben’s kids, Buddy and Tina, were the last Batt comms in.Tina sat beside West, the ex-mercenary and commander of Fourth batt.Tina and West were unofficially engaged to be married, someday, when the wars were over.Buddy looked like he ate Jeeps for breakfast.The young man literally did not know his own strength.Ben made certain that Rene Seaux and General Matthies were seated on opposite sides of the large room, as far apart as possible, and then tapped on his desk with a ruler, bringing the room to silence.“Bruno Bottger knows all about the additional troops arriving.He’s known ever since President Blanton and I agreed to this plan.So he’s got people in deep.Why he hasn’t made a move against us before we get beefed up is anyone’s guess.I’m just glad he waited.” He picked up a pointer and turned to face a huge wall map.“The Rebels First Division will be stretched out from here, at Besancon, all the way down to the Mediterranean Sea.Second Division,54made up of the Resistance Groups and Colonel Flanders’ regimental combat team, will be in the middle, from Luxembourg to Besancon.Billy Smithson’s troops, which are designated as Third Division, will stretch out from Luxembourg north to Nijmwegen.General Matthies, your people will be at the northernmost point of your sector, Rene Seaux and his people at the southernmost edge.Now then, I would like you all to meet Colonel Wajda of the Polish Brigade.” A stocky man in a brown beret stood up and nodded at the group.“Pleased, I am sure,” the colonel said, then sat down.“He and his people came out of Bottger’s occupied territory a few days ago to join with us.” Ben smiled.“I wish Colonel Wajda did have a full brigade, but he did bring a battalion-sized force with him.Colonel Wajda and his men have been waging a guerrilla war against Bottger’s troops for over a year.A very successful campaign, I might add.Glad to have you with us, Colonel.All right, I have queried all the leaders of the resistance groups and they have agreed to an overall commander.And that is going to be General Georgi Striganov …”“Chief.” Corrie stuck her head into the room.“Billy Smithson is here [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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