Hoosier Civil War (IC, Closed)

[The Selkie]

Silver Bay Herald, internet edition.

Saint Louis under siege

Civil War in the Hoosier Alliance further escalates. Selkie-Journalist remains missing.

---

Hoosier Alliance - After the Battle of Chicago, which according to experts ended in a draw, President Houstin with the circumstances of his election still remaining under suspicion having declared himself military ruler and the rash declaration of support of the Western Phoenicians and their king, the Civil War in the Hoosier Alliance further escalates.
With aerial and naval forces of the Western Phoenician Armed Forces arriving in a muscle-flexing spectacle in the Hoosier Alliance, it was only a question of time until the units of the 13th Fleet, called from the Theocracy of Annixe Christos, would be called into action. Yesterday, that time came.
As rebel forces attempted a siege of Saint Louis, with relief forces on their way, the King of Phoenicia decided to act accordingly and attack the city - while initial reports of the results stated, that Saint Louis was "wiped off the face of the earth", as one rather dramatic report put it, it becomes clearer and clearer, that only a part of the attacking aircraft released their payloads onto the city and not onto the rebel positions outside. A persistent rumour, which can not be traced back to its source, states, that rebel forces captured aircraft and used them in an air attack on Saint Louis, trying to put the blame on the government. Whoever it was, it is to be expected, that Hoosier Forces will retaliate with their complete might.
This would be the second large confrontation between Hoosier Government and Rebel Forces, the first one being the Battle of Chicago. During that, which the missing journalist in question watched, Rebel Forces managed to leave the city both in ruins and with the main body of their forces more or less intact, withdrawing and disappearing to strike somewhere else, while the government forces took a destroyed city, thus reaching their strategic objective, an expert claimed. "Now...", the expert, which does not wish to be named, continued, "...with the Battle of Saint Louis fast approaching, the objectives are a bit less clear. However, if the Hoosier Forces manage to catch the siege, putting the siege under siege, so to speak, this civil war would be over as that would lead to the destruction of the main body of rebel forces."
Both sides of the Civil War, rebel forces and government troops, are under the suspicion of war crimes, with now Phoenicia being added to the list of suspects. Accusations range from indiscriminate attacks to attacks on civilians.
Meanwhile, the Elder Council asked all sides to enter peace talks lest more innocent people loose their lives.
ACC, Soc.

[West Phoenicia]

Melbourne-Haven; West Phoenicia

Ms Tanya Thorne, the West Phoenician Minister of Truth called a press conference for 11am to make an official announcement.
As a Minister of Truth she had the position over West Phoenician Communications, Television, newspapers, radio and the internet where her portfolio to look after and she had been doing a great job for the last few years. She was a staunch member of the Conservative Party and when The Conservative Party won the national election with the help of the right leaning parties she was awarded this plum position.
She was 43 but looked 33, with her honey blonde hair tied up in a bun and fair complexion and sapphire blue eyes. She looked innocent but those who knew her knew she could be tough and unscrupulous if it meant to further her career or get the job done.
Her role was simple keep the free press flowing while ensuring nothing to damaging was leaked. She had the power to pull news channel or news papers if they stepped out of line, something she had never really had to do. And she was in charge of the government press conferences and who or who wasnt allowed in the press gallery.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen of the press and media. I thank you all for showing up on time." Tanya Thorne smiled into the audience of reporters. She than painted on a mask of sadness.

"As we all know West Phoenicia has always stood up for what is right and fought against injustice. At the moment we are assisting the nation of Hoosier Alliance in their fight against terrorist hell bent on destroying the nation due to their upset over the results of a fair election they were not happy with. President Houston won the election fairly but the terrorists were not happy they rather a trouble maker like Courtney Maddison who is plotting to overthrow the government and install herself as its ruler.
West Phoenicia has intervened. Our 13th Fleet was recalled from the shores of our staunch allies The Theocracy of Annixe Christos. Our job was simple we were to bomb the terrorists out of the city of St Louis.
This incident has caused world wide attention with St Louis being bombed and the terrorists accusing The Houston administration and West Phoenicia of attacking pro-government forces.This is in fact a lie."

Tanya Thorne paused to brush aside a lose hair from her face.

"Our king, Glenton Gryphon-Bush II ordered the bombing raid but before our planes could get in the air, supporters of Courtney Maddison were able to steal Hoosier Alliance planes and with rebel supporters they bombed St Louis causing the death of many men, women and children.
Upon receiving intelligence reports of this atrocity our valant king ordered F-22 Raptors and B- West Phoenician Lancers into the air to attack the rebel lines.
By the time our planes arrived the damage done by these terrorists was apparent and West Phoenicia struck back at the rebels as punishment around the city of St Louis. A few Bombers were than sent in to bomb the outskirts of St Louis where the terrorists had weaseled their way in.
The King is deeply distressed that fake news sites like those run by the Selkie are reporting we had a hand in the bombing of the city of St Louis. Those accusations are false. Any reports that West Phoenicia was working off shoddy intelligence reports from Hoosier Alliance agents and the West Phoenician Security and Intelligence Organisation is also false. Unfortunately in civil conflicts some media rather report on sensationalist fiction than fact.
A terrorist who was captured soon after our bombing raid of rebel lines has confessed to West Phoenician officals they were behind the deadly bombing in the hopes of swaying opinion to their favour. West Phoenicia will not rest now until the Hoosier Alliance is free of Courtney Maddison and her terrorists cells. We must fight in to support the faith in free and democratic elections and punish those who would try and assassinate our king."

Tanya Thorne smiled as she raised her fist. "Now i will take a few questions before i must head off to an important meeting."

[Cedoria]

St Louis, Hoosier Alliance
The bombardment from the first wave of Hoosier aircraft rained down upon rebel lines. A great many rebel AA guns returned fire directly at the enemy aircraft, only to find themselves taking the brunt of the aircraft fire. A number of AA guns were destroyed and nearby infantry and vehicular units suffered the brunt of the attack. However, tank and artillery forces remained mostly unfazed, and, supported by infantry units advancing ahead to slowly clear the roads ahead of traps and mines, they begin making their way into the city itself, with armoured forces commencing fire on surviving Hoosier forces inside the city and rebel artillery continuing their heavy bombardments...

With enemy forces in the city outnumbered and having sustained heavy casualties, the rebels launch their first major offensive, with the window for opportunity to take the city rapidly closing as Hoosier, West Phoenician and Annixean forces rushed to reinforce the bueleagured defenders with air and ground reinforcements. Lacking heavy air power of their own (the initial defectors having long been grounded or shot out of the sky), rebel forces AA batteries remain their only hope of defense from the sky. Fortunately, many still remain intact despite the initial bombing, and many managed to fire back at approaching Hoosier aircraft, no doubt inflicting a degree of damage. How much is still impossible to determine, but regular weapons shipments from Venezuela continues to infuse the rebel cause, and heavy AA and anti-tank weaponry in particular from Cedorian manufacturers bolsters rebel numbers. Even as the engagement for St Louis begins proper, more of these weapons arrive for the new rebel volunteers and smaller trickle of defectors, who in the wave of recent propaganda surrounding Houston's dissolution of democracy in the Alliance, have begun to see more and more the rightness of the Madisonian cause. Tying her own struggle back with that of her father's Courtney Madison assumes near mythic proportions, as a heroic rebel crusader standing up for personal liberty and justice against overrarching government tyranny and spreading chaos.

Slowly, rebel infantry formations advance into the city, some taking losses from mines and traps laid as they go, but others dismantling the selfsame traps and mines, covered by tank and vehicle formations as they advance, who fire at National Guard units they encounter as they go.

It is now a race for St Louis. If the rebels can overwhelm their badly outnumbered and outmatched foe before reinforcements properly arrive, the city will be theirs, if they fail, then a major blow to the Madisonian cause will follow, as the rebels retreat back to their hidden bases.

Poras, People's Republic of Cedoria.

PIA Chief Schultz had just finished his report to Chairman Sorenson, gazing at the ruler of Cedoria expectantly, awaiting his reaction to the news that the battle for St Louis had begun in earnest.
"Is our supply route overseas from our Veneuzelan comrades still secure?" Sorenson asked, '
"Aye Comrade Chairman, the supply route remains unmolested by enemy activity. Some enemy comm chatter indicates they are aware that the weapons being shipped are mostly Cedorian made, and I gather at least some of our enemies have figured out who is behind the rebels, but any such accusations on the part of the Hoosiers like like sour grapes from their defeat in the last war, and ultimately, Cedorian arms manufacturers sell weapons to many countries, any one of whom might have reasons to destabilise the Hoosier regime."

"Of course" Chairman Sorenson smiled, well aware that this excuse, whilst plainly true, was still only a rather thinly-veiled cover of Cedorian involvement (indeed, to a large extent direction) of the Madisonian cause.

"Have their been further reports of our efforts inside the rebel central command? We don't want to lose our grip on them at this critical juncture".

"Already on it Chairman" Schultz replied quickly, "our agents reports indicate that Courtney Madison remains firmly in our thrall, seduced by our operatives with promises of the Presidency when the war is won, and our involvement remains hidden to all but her top aides, of whom all those have either been bought or intimidated into silence. No information leak has yet been managed which could jeopardise Madison's cause, given that most of the common ranks and officers in the rebel army still remain oblivious to our involvement."

"That is for the best, Chief Schultz" Sorenson replied firmly, "Cedorian involvement becoming wide knowledge would damage and undermine the legitimacy of the rebel cause, Courtney Madison must appear as her father did, savior of her country from a corrupt and illegitimate bureaucracy. The Hoosiers counter-revolutionary propaganda glorifies Madison's father with phrases like 'freedom fighter', so casting Houston in the role of oppressor is a clever choice. Have our agents begun their subversion of Church leaders in Hoosier?"

"Already working on it Chairman, I shall have more information on any Church leaders who might have been persuaded in our next briefing".

"Very well, that will be all Schultz".

Schultz saluted and turned on his heel, ushered out of the office by the Chairman's guards, he crossed the threshold beyond the wooden mahogany door into the hallway beyond.

Returning at a brisk walk to his own office, he opened up his cell phone and sent out messages via the encryption services. It was time to meet with the Circle of the Sixteen...

"My office, thirty minutes, come soon"

When the ambitious Schultz had assisted Sorenson and other senior party officials in forcing the retirement of Chairwoman Tizack some months ago, he had done so, like many in the Party, operating on the assumption that Chairman Sorenson, still relatively new to the senior ranks of government, would be easy to control. Sorenson had not however, and far from delegating much of the powers which had been de-facto centralised to the position of Chairman of the Central Committee over preceding decades back into the hands of other committees and delegates, Schultz had in fact quickly demonstrated himself a swift learner and was rapidly mastering all aspects of his formidable brief.

Thus Schultz and many of his other confidants in the senior ranks of the Communist Party had decided that Sorenson had to go, and one of their own put in his place. Using the ongoing shadow war against the Hoosier Alliance as a cover, they expanded their own surveillance operations around the Chairman and his key associates, preparing to arrest him, and seize control of the government according to a pre-set timetable. At present, progress was still slow, but the so-called "Circle of the Sixteen" (named so for the number of conspirators), had already begun making it's plans for toppling Sorenson once the civil war in the Hoosier Alliance was over. Schultz was the key lynchpin, as the most senior intelligence official in the country, he controlled the extensive security and intelligence apparatus that surrounded senior Communist Party and government officials. His role was the one that would determine the success or failure of the entire conspiracy.

Thus for months now he had projected the outward role of totally loyal supplicant, carrying out Sorenson's wishes and furthering his grandiose foreign policy schemes without complaint, all the while consolidating and solidifying his base of support with the small but key group of senior Party officials who hoped for Sorenson's removal.

Once he had fallen, this group planned to abolish the office of Chairman within several months and divide it's powers and perogatives up among themselves, a new collective leadership, which would end the centralisation of executive power to the Central Committee and its members that had begun during the rule of Chairman Vallance Vallen. Never again would the Party be monopolised by strong-arm executive rulers who would dictate the cause of nations.

But first, they needed to oust Sorenson.

As his office door slid open and the first of his allies walked through the gap, Schultz wondered if it really would be as easy as all that...

[The Hoosier Alliance]

St. Louis, Missori
As the Hoosier aircraft pull away from their assault on rebel anti-air defenses, several F-35s went up in flames, their wreckage heading toward the ground at a rapid speed. The majority of the aircrafts were still intact, and returning for refueling and rearming. Details were sent to the airfield they came from, prompting additional aircraft to be launched. Once they arrived, they would once more unload on the enemy positions. Until then, however, government forces inside the city were on their own.



Inside the city itself, rebel forces found little resistance as they entered the city. Traps and mines killed and slowed a number of rebels, yet many were disarmed. They passed abandoned positions, dead bodies (government and civilian), burned husks of vehicles (again, government and civilian) and rubble from buildings. The occasional bit of rifle fire, from military or pro-government citizens, sounded throughout the city. However, no major pocket of resistance was met. It didn't take long for the advancing rebels to come across the reason why. The frontmost militiamen rounded the corner to the next block and were faced with a horrific sight. Before them, on every streetlight and from a number of windows, hung the bodies of various people, soldier and civilian. As they slowly walked, stunned by the scene, they read the signs around the dead men's necks.

Coward

Deserter

Traitor

Communist

Non-believer

Rebel

Foreigner

A little farther down, there was even more carnage. Spaced out about every 15 feet, on the ground, laid the victims of firing squads. Written on the wall above them, possibly in paint or blood, messages were scrawled.

NOT ONE STEP BACK!

How many more must die?

No room 4 COWARDS

DEUS VULT

As the rebels moved on, some stopping to vomit, they came across the final group of those executed by firing squad. One man, wearing the uniform of a government soldier, but stripped of important items such as ammo and weapons, coughed. A handful of men walked over to him, as he struggled to breathe. "What happened here?" One rebel asked. The dying man slowly shook his head. "T-t-tr....trap," was all he could say before the C-4 strapped to his chest was detonated. Following the explosion, M16s, M249s, anti-tank weapons, and even some molotov cocktails slammed into the remaining rebels. The fire came from several buildings at the end of the street. Attacks like this happened all over, trying to halt the rebel advance. Additional traps were sprung, such as detonating explosives in sewers as vehicles rolled over the positions, sending the armor into the collapsed tunnel. Hoosier forces hoped the sudden surprise attack would catch the rebels off guard, and send them reeling back. If not, they were determined to hold their positions. If not, there were a number of fall back positions to hold onto.

[Cedoria]

St Louis.
Sickened and disgusted by the atrocities of government forces, rebel troops nevertheless press onward. Some troops want to pull down the grossly mutiliated corpses, but their commanders stop their forward movements. Instead, pictures are taken of the atrocities and some make short video recording which the Madisonians will later release all over the world, demonstrating the full depravity of the Houston regime against which they battle so desperately. Rather than accepting surrender, rebel troops are now under orders to kill on sight all enemy soldiers and potentially hostile civilians. Anybody not a rebel trooper who is out on the streets will be shot on sight. Knowing this, rebel forces advance slowly, with keener eyes fanning out along the flanks and in front to detect and disable any traps. Although some are disabled, other rebels fall to the attacks.

But they make steady ground, ruthlessly gunning down the few National Guard units and moving to the centre of the city still occupied by their badly outnumbered enemy.

Outside the city several hundred rebels are casualties, either killed or mostly wounded, rebel formations begin to fan out and re-organise into a more loose formation to provide better protection against enemy aircraft. With two waves of bombardment, first from West Phoenicia and then from Hoosier, the rebels still have far more troops, and another artillery barrage is fired over the heads of the advancing Madisonians towards Houston's few surviving loyalists. With such a numerical advantage, and only few remaining enemies, one final ground assault should do the trick.

Rebel HQ, Undisclosed Location.
Courtney Madison listened to David's story with mingled alarm and horror, the messages he had been sent on his own private cell... She understood perfectly.

"My brother, Johnny Madison" she said shortly, David looked at her quizzically.

"Our strength in this rebellion has been in claiming the mantle of my father, Garick Madison, for our rebellion," she explained "Houston has up until now had to fight against that. But now that he's brought Johnny onside, he can claim to have as much of the legitimacy as we have in terms of the original principles my father laid down. It neutralises our principal propaganda advantage."

David nodded, the People's Intelligence Agency knew remarkably little about the other members of the Madison family, although they had detailed dossiers on Courtney and her father, the former President. He felt it was wise to press her for more information.
"What's your brother like, do you think he's doing this because he wants too, or is Houston forcing him to?"

Courtney shook her head.

"My brother always agreed with my father far more than I did. Although I'm sure Houston wouldn't have dared rope him into it without my father's permission, he would've done it anyway had it been his choice. Two peas in a pod, and they regard me as a traitor" there was a slight catch in her voice as she said the last word, followed by a brief silence that David knew was her sadness.

A sudden rush of protectiveness rose up within him, reaching across the table, he gripped her forearm.
"I promise, all this will be worth it in the end. Your family mightn't see it now, but they will, they will! You are doing what is best, and one day, they'll understand that." David said fiercely.

She gave him a small, shy smile, lowering her eyebrows slightly.
"Thank you David, I... I hope you're right."

Then he released her arm, a slight flush across his face.

"I shall deliver another report soon, Madam President."

He stood up, bowed and left the room quickly, before she could see his reddening face.

What the hellwas happening to him?

[The Hoosier Alliance]

St. Louis, MIssouri
Hoosier government forces, while outnumbered, put up the best fight they could. Hidden machine gun positions, men stationed in buildings with anti-tank weapons, traps, and pockets of soldiers covered other National Guardsmen and pro-government militiamen as they were slowly pushed back. It had already been established that an attempt to surrender or retreat without orders would be met with a swift execution by an officer. The atrocities committed almost guaranteed that rebel forces wouldn't even accept surrendering troops, making it unlikely anyone would take that chance.

Outside the city
Arriving at the scene, the reinforcements (numbering nearly 40,000 men) were able to see the destruction inflicted by the rebels. "Lieutenant General," a lower ranking major general said, approaching the man. "What are our orders? Should we set up the artillery and prepare the men for an assault?" The lieutenant general nodded, "The city it's self is nearly lost. There are far too many of these traitorous bastards to be able to break their lines quickly and reclaim the city. We'll prepare an assault of the city as whole. Hopefully, they won't be prepared enough to fortify themselves against our onslaught. I want someone on the line with our fly-boys in the area. We're going to want a bombardment of the city soon. Then, under the cover of artillery, our armor and infantry will advance." As he finished, the major general gave a quick, "Yes, sir," and was on his way to give out the orders.


Indianapolis, Indiana
Houston was barely listening as his generals stood in a half circle, explaining the situation to him. "As you can see," Jones said, "Rebel forces have all but taken the city. The garrison was small to begin with, and after the...complications...their numbers took a dive. A corps of men have arrived, but too late to actually save the city. We've gotten word that they're going to prepare their men for an assault that'll be ready after the rebels take the city. To prevent this from happening elsewhere, we should strengthen garrisons in and around cities and military installations. These bastards where able to take advantage of the fact that we were more prepared for an attack from the outside, rather from within." He stopped, finished taking, and waited for Houston to respond. Instead, Houston just rubbed his temples, eyes closed, muttering to himself.

"Sir?"

Nothing. He just sat there.

"Sir?"

Still no response.

"SIR," Jones said, raising his voice.

Houston was startled out of his trace, and looked up at Jones. "Yes, yes of course. What were you saying? Have we retaken Springfield?"

Jones looked nervously to his colleagues, a look they all returned, before speaking, "St. Louis, sir."

"What?" Houston said, confused.

"St. Louis, sir. We've lost St. Louis. Springfield is still under our control." Houston nodded, "Of course. That's what I said. St. Louis. So, what are you doing to reclaim it? We need to get some men out there, at least a corps, maybe two. It'll be too late for the city and it's garrison, but we could assault it-"

"Sir," Jones interrupted, "We've already discussed this. A corps is preparing to attack the city as we speak. We also believe that we should work fast to increase the garrisons in the other cities." Houston waved him away, "You are all dismissed. Leave me be. Do all that stuff. Perhaps if you did it when I ORDERED YOU TOO," he said, suddenly shouting the last words, "WE WOULDN'T BE IN THIS MESS!"

Jones and the other generals just left as fast as they could, before Houston started throwing things...again. The last time he went into a rage, he made one of his secretaries cry. The men all walked down the hallway together, talking as they went to carry out their orders. Or rather, come up with orders and just tell Houston they were his. "I"m getting worried," Kyle Jefferson said, one of the generals that made up the council of high ranking officers that helped Houston govern, "His outbursts are getting far worse, and he doesn't even pay attention when we try to tell him something. Something is wrong with him." One of the other generals, a younger man named Mark Lee, looked shocked at his words, "Kyle! How could you say that? This is Houston, the man that has lead us through so much! He can get us through this. I know-"

Jones interjected, "Mark, that is not Houston. I know Houston, and that is not him. I am confident we will win this war, but it won't be Houston that does it. Right now, we, not him, we, are running this country, this war. Right now, Houston is nothing but a figure for the people to look to. If he doesn't get better, and God knows I want him to, something will have to be done." Jones sped up his walking, leaving a stunned group of generals behind him. All of them didn't want to admit it, but they knew he was right.

[The Selkie]

(Image)

Melbourne-Haven; West Phoenicia

Ms Tanya Thorne, the West Phoenician Minister of Truth called a press conference for 11am to make an official announcement.
As a Minister of Truth she had the position over West Phoenician Communications, Television, newspapers, radio and the internet where her portfolio to look after and she had been doing a great job for the last few years. She was a staunch member of the Conservative Party and when The Conservative Party won the national election with the help of the right leaning parties she was awarded this plum position.
She was 43 but looked 33, with her honey blonde hair tied up in a bun and fair complexion and sapphire blue eyes. She looked innocent but those who knew her knew she could be tough and unscrupulous if it meant to further her career or get the job done.
Her role was simple keep the free press flowing while ensuring nothing to damaging was leaked. She had the power to pull news channel or news papers if they stepped out of line, something she had never really had to do. And she was in charge of the government press conferences and who or who wasnt allowed in the press gallery.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen of the press and media. I thank you all for showing up on time." Tanya Thorne smiled into the audience of reporters. She than painted on a mask of sadness.

"As we all know West Phoenicia has always stood up for what is right and fought against injustice. At the moment we are assisting the nation of Hoosier Alliance in their fight against terrorist hell bent on destroying the nation due to their upset over the results of a fair election they were not happy with. President Houston won the election fairly but the terrorists were not happy they rather a trouble maker like Courtney Maddison who is plotting to overthrow the government and install herself as its ruler.
West Phoenicia has intervened. Our 13th Fleet was recalled from the shores of our staunch allies The Theocracy of Annixe Christos. Our job was simple we were to bomb the terrorists out of the city of St Louis.
This incident has caused world wide attention with St Louis being bombed and the terrorists accusing The Houston administration and West Phoenicia of attacking pro-government forces.This is in fact a lie."

Tanya Thorne paused to brush aside a lose hair from her face.

"Our king, Glenton Gryphon-Bush II ordered the bombing raid but before our planes could get in the air, supporters of Courtney Maddison were able to steal Hoosier Alliance planes and with rebel supporters they bombed St Louis causing the death of many men, women and children.
Upon receiving intelligence reports of this atrocity our valant king ordered F-22 Raptors and B- West Phoenician Lancers into the air to attack the rebel lines.
By the time our planes arrived the damage done by these terrorists was apparent and West Phoenicia struck back at the rebels as punishment around the city of St Louis. A few Bombers were than sent in to bomb the outskirts of St Louis where the terrorists had weaseled their way in.
The King is deeply distressed that fake news sites like those run by the Selkie are reporting we had a hand in the bombing of the city of St Louis. Those accusations are false. Any reports that West Phoenicia was working off shoddy intelligence reports from Hoosier Alliance agents and the West Phoenician Security and Intelligence Organisation is also false. Unfortunately in civil conflicts some media rather report on sensationalist fiction than fact.
A terrorist who was captured soon after our bombing raid of rebel lines has confessed to West Phoenician officals they were behind the deadly bombing in the hopes of swaying opinion to their favour. West Phoenicia will not rest now until the Hoosier Alliance is free of Courtney Maddison and her terrorists cells. We must fight in to support the faith in free and democratic elections and punish those who would try and assassinate our king."

Tanya Thorne smiled as she raised her fist. "Now i will take a few questions before i must head off to an important meeting."

After the rather bold statements of Miss Thorne concerning Selkie-Journalism - as most newspapers were more concerned with regional affairs and most news bloggers were keeping away from the shit storm that was the Civil War in the Hoosier Alliance - the search for the one meant was narrowed down quickly to a handful of publications...
...all of which published the press conference's transscript, including a video recording of the whole thing, with explaining annotations on their web editions the next day. Their 'mission statement' was to report about matters in all aspects and from all points of view, so excluding the Western Phoenician point of view would be hypocritical.
Other then that, nothing happened, despite any insults to Selkie-Journalism and the truth one might have felt at the comments of Miss Thorne. The reasoning was simple, as it was explained in the first paragraph of the published press conference transscript on the webpresence of the Silver Bay Herald: Their mission statement, their role, was to report about the ongoings in the world in the most neutral manner possible, letting everyone come to word, which, in this case, included the statements of Miss Thorne and the Government she represented - and no one, not even a little girl trying to out-lie Minitrue, would keep them from it.
As Orwell was required reading in English classes all over the Free Lands, every Selkie got the reference.
However, that was not even a remotely important news. It was, on the day of its publishing, on a side-bar containing news ressources, relatively deep down, so one had to scroll down quite a bit.
Headline, however, was Siege of St. Louis continues, in which the continuing siege of the city, and the importance of that siege in the eyes of an expert, was spoken about. In short, this was the big and important one...

Meanwhile, near Chicago, Kiah had been dropped off by the guys she fled the city with and was now hitchhiking, sure that her car wasn't where she left it anymore. That was no problem for her, her insurance covered that most likely and she had everything valuable on her.
Hitching a ride with the rebels until she could slip away hadn't been hard either. Peata had a watchful eye so that no one tried anything funny with his mistress until she awoke from her nap, but she wasn't resting well.
The Battle of Chicago had taken its toll on her, although she was not a soldier and, if she was honest, had no idea about how they fared from the memories. She hadn't witnessed any real fighting up close and personal, but...
...it would haunt her, what she saw.
Proof for warcrimes in Chicago. It was unclear, if they had been committed by rebel or government forces, but they happened nonetheless. For some, there was a good explanation, surely, from simple accidents to a mixture of idiocity and bad luck, but others... Kiah was relatively sure, that she'd never publish some of the pictures.
At this point in time, she just wanted to go home, snuggle up to Peata, her brave defender, and sleep for a while.
Even if it was just a dream, if reading her thoughts or not, the Grey Wolf moved a bit closer to her and stood watch.

[Cedoria]

St Louis,

As the Madisonians pushed forward, another artillery barrage quickly enveloped the surviving Houston loyalists inside the city. With few left alive, Madisonian troops and technicals swept into the city center, shooting any soldier who tries to resist and not accepting surrenders. The tricks employed and the atrocities against civilians seen inside St Louis mean that the rebels are not inclined to show mercy.

Rebel forces occupy key locations, including the power grid, radio and television stations and begin looting armories and police centers for further weaponry. The Madisonian forces all swiftly pour into the city and begin preparation for a counter-attack from the government reinforcements that are sure to be arriving. Hastily erected barricades, a few traps and chokepoints along alleyways, as well as moving bits of rubble around to create bottlenecks and chokepoints, are the chief strategies the Madisonians employ to begin fortifying their new city.

Above the city, the Madisonians raise the flag of their rebellion, proving the city is now definitively occupied. And unlike Chicago, they do not intend to rest on their laurels.

Elsewhere
Even as they prepare to defend the newly-liberated city, Courtney Madison has plans to utilise fresh reserves to attack several Hoosier military bases and airbases in the south-west to draw the enemy's attention away from St Louis.

With every major government occupied base emptied of troops and vehicles to attempt the re-capture of St Louis, the bases and fortifications around the country will be vulnerable to attack. Several hundred rebel troops, equipped with Special Forces weaponry supplied from Cedoria, now begin to head off, their targets are a major military base, a key armoury and country fortification, and the major fighter airfield in the region. The last target is particularly important, with rebel troops planning to target the lightly-defended ground aircraft and fuel rigs for destruction, greatly impeding air interdiction efforts.

Madisonian forces set out for their objectives, eager to aid their comrades in defending St Louis by attacking Hoosier enemies in key rear positions.

If Houston thought his troops would be able to re-take St Louis without harrassment, he was gravely mistaken.

[The Hoosier Alliance]

Near St. Louis
Just outside of the city, large numbers of Hoosier soldiers and machinery prepared for an assault on the city. The corps of men, consisting of about 40,000 soldiers, were far away enough from the city to have some breathing room and come up with a plan. The lieutenant general in charge of the operation had been in communication with higher ranking officials for several hours, as well as trying to coordinate efforts to retake the city.

"Yes sir, the city has fallen," he said, speaking to one of the officers serving right under Houston. "We decided that attempting to reinforce the city's garrison while it was under siege wasn't feasible. It would have lead to unnecessary lives lost, as well as a tactical defeat. We either would have had to rush in there without knowing our ass from a hole in the ground, or coordinate our efforts and not be able to reach them in time," he continued, "We are currently stationed outside the city, far away enough to get our shit together. We're nearly ready to assault St. Louis, and take it back. However, collateral damage could-"

"I don't give a shit about collateral damage!" The officer said, interrupting him, "Houston doesn't, and frankly, you shouldn't either. Victory is your objective, lieutenant general, no matter the cost. I don't care if the city is turned to nothing but ash and rock, the rebels cannot hold onto it. Right now, you are on your own. We are prioritizing reinforcing garrisons in important cities and military installations. It will be a while before support can reach you in any meaningful numbers. Don't report back until the city has fallen into our hands." With that, the call was ended.

Soon after the call was finished, the attack was commenced. Thousands of infantrymen, BFVs, M1 Abrams, and other assets moved forward, toward the city. Artillery and mortars, brought to help hold the city, were re-purposed to fire on it. There were relatively few, but their far more experienced crews fired as many round as they could on known (and suspected) rebel positions. Nearly a dozen HIMARS, fast, mobile rocket launchers mounted military truck frames, also fired their six rockets each, quickly moving after firing as they were designed to "shoot and scoot".

The lieutenant general looked at the large desk in front of him, back in the main encampment being set up by Hoosier government personnel, and studied the map of St. Louis. It was filled with marks of various colors, indicating possible rebel positions, locations to assault, rally points, and the like. He briefly worried about the lives of his men, the lives of the citizens in St. Louis, and even for the lives of the rebels. Sure, they were traitors, but they were still Hoosiers. The lieutenant general shook his head, No, he thought, Can't think like that. Victory...no matter the cost.

[Cedoria]

St Louis
Hoosier government forces made their first attack, running up hard against entrenched rebel positions. Hastily dismantling and re-assembling the artillery used to re-take the city, the rebels still need time to properly assemble their heavy artillery, but rebel infantry and vehicles remain in entrenched positions and various ambush points within the city.

Although rebel forces sustain casualties from governent artillery, rebel forces inflict losses on advancing Hoosier infantry and some vehicles, several rebel tanks ambush Hoosier government troops at key chokepoints throughout the city, further contributing to confusion and difficulty. For about half an hour, the hard fight continues, and it is impossible to tell which side is victorious.

For now, the rebel lines have held, and Hoosier government forces take heavy losses. But ultimately the Government is determined to re-take the city, and has lots of forces still alive despite the first assault being repulsed.


Rebel forces anxiously wait for a second offensive.

Meanwhile, to the east, their comrades edge closer to their targets for attack. These bases will come under assault, drawing Hoosier government attention and resources away from St Louis. They are rapidly traversing the countryside towards their targets, but they need more time. St Louis must hold until then!


But for now, the Madisonian flag remains fluttering over St Louis, and the casualties are not sufficient to cause a withdrawal. They will hold, they must hold.

But the fierce fighting destroys a great deal of infrastructure, and in the brief respite, rebel sappers plan to blow some major city streets in front of their defenses to inhibit the government forces next assault. St Louis will not fall like Chicago, but entire streets have already been reduced to rubble, and thousands are already dead.

Such is the price of such a terrible fratricide, civil war.

[The Hoosier Alliance]

After federal troops are forced back, they prepare for another assault. The focus of the attack will be on rebel vehicles, anti-air, and anti-tank weapons, or as many as they can find. Some artillery and rockets are redirected to positions previously occupied by rebels, after reorganizing government troops reported the positions. In order to bring in more air support, teams of special forces were put together to hunt and destroy anti-aircraft weapons in all the confusion. Their mission would to focus only on the weapons, and pay no mind to enemy infantry or armor, unless it was mission critical. Artillery began to roar, hoping to soften up enemy positions before the main assault force advanced again.


All over the country, at the expense of sending meaningful numbers of reinforcements to St. Louis, garrisons of cities, military installations, and other important areas were reinforced. Reserves were called up and smaller, less important military installations (especially ones within close proximity to larger, more important bases), were drained of troops. Soldiers, vehicles, and equipment were moved as fast as possible, to keep something like St. Louis from happening.

While men and supplies were moved around, General Jones and his colleagues began to devise a plan to take St. Louis. Once cities and other important positions were adequately defended, a large scale operation would unfold. They would not just target St. Louis, they would also take on rebels and their supporters all over the country. Troops in government controlled territory and cities would crack down on communists, socialists, anti-government advocates, and anyone with possible ties to the rebel army. The punishment for all of these crimes would be harsh. During the crackdown across the country, reinforcements would move to St. Louis. Enough men would be sent to replenish any losses, as well as an additional division to reinforce the attack. All through the country, men and supplies rushed to their locations and to fulfill their purposes.

[Cedoria]

Hoosier Alliance, South-West

Several military bases and fortifications suddenly come under attack by rebel Madisonians. Despite the onrush of reinforcements to St Louis, the fortifications are still reasonably well defended, and the rebel attack, while inflicting casualties, fails to occupy any major bases. Several tanks are destroyed in one raid, and an attack on a military airfield specifically targets grounded Hoosier fighter and bomber jets for destruction. Rebel forces penetrate the hangers and attempt to lay their explosives, but how successful they are is not confirmed as confusion reigns across the region.

Within St Louis, rebel forces disperse more widely to attempt to cover all potential zones of approach into the combat zone, and limit their exposure to enemy artillery fire. Rebel artillery has finally been re-deployed inside the city in the wake of St Louis's fall and begins to launch counter-barrages at government tank and technical vehicles. Both sides attempt to target enemy vehicles for destruction to render the infantry lacking in armour support, but now it is the rebels who are dug in to fortified positions all across the city, many are make-shift, making use of buildings, alleys, cars and anything else that is soon on hand, and a variety of hastily improvised barricades spring up to block major vehicular roads.

Poras. People's Republic of Cedoria.

PIA Chief Schultz listened in grim satisfaction as his agents relayed the reports of field agents concerning the ongoing battle in St Louis. Victory or defeat, neither concerned him, only the causing of as much damage and destruction as possible. The news that Houston had begun rounding up dissidents across the country had been welcome. The Hoosier Alliance would be bled white by this civil war, precisely as intended. Preventing the Alliance from being able to interfere with future Cedorian plans and foreign policy had always been the main objective, and backing the rebels to draw out a violent and destructive civil war would be something that could prolong the country's recovery for years, even if Houston still achieved ultimate victory. Cedorian analysts were still of the opinion that this was ultimately the likely outcome, but things could change in a heartbeat.

Schultz dismissed his agent from the room and gave a grim smile, his plans were moving apace, both domestic and international. His fellow conspirators inside the Party had agreed to the plan, Sorenson would be surrounded by their people before they acted, and Schultz, he would have his reward, the ultimate prize for years of patient service, to Party and country.

Within two years, such would be the reality.

[The Hoosier Alliance]

18 months later...
For the next year and a half, the civil war in the Alliance raged on. After St. Louis was lost, and unable to be retaken, rebel forces took advantage of the relatively few government troops in the area. With the focus on the city itself, rebel troops rallied in Missouri. The secured the majority of the state, taking military installations, towns, airfields, armories, and everything else of value. While the government focused on defending and reinforcing what they still held, and neglected sending reinforcements to the assault on St. Louis, federal forces in the state were stretched thin. Madison pressed the advantage, and was able to secure aircraft from the captured airfields. Soon, they fought for control of the skies. While untrained, they put up a decent fight.

For several weeks, government forces occupied the Illinois-Missouri border, trying to contain the rebel advance. As Madisonian militias clashed with federal battalions, reinforcements for Hoosier army began to arrive. Pouncing on the fewer (and lower quality) armored vehicles the rebels had, a massive assault, spearheaded by a number of armored divisions, all up and down the Illinois-Missouri line took place. Government soldiers, after weeks of skirmishes and indecisive battles, met Madisonian forces in some of the first large scale battles of the war. Men marched through cornfields, fighting hand-to-hand in the rows of crops. In the bloody assaults, all over the border of the two states, neither side was able to get the upper hand. Prepositioned anti-infantry and anti-vehicle mines devastated advancing government forces. Air superiority constantly switched back and forth, in several areas, while federal jets took control in others.

A southern push, meant to take the strategic I-55 highway, was successful in the beginning. While troops in the south moved faster than other federal forces, it took several days of heavy fighting to reach the interstate, and another week of bloody fighting to take it. The Mississippi River, which made up the border between Illinois and St. Louis, made the invasion of the state all that much harder, giving rebel soldiers an advantage. Government troops fought hard for six days to take the eastern portion of St. Louis, the section of the city on the Illinois side of the border. However, dug in rebels held their positions on the Missouri side of the Mississippi, and threw back every attempt to dislodge them.

In the north, federals were halted only a few miles outside of Bowling Green, while they were completely turned back outside both Canton and Palmyra. The hope was to take highway 61 and 36, and advance even further, but were stopped dead by Madisonian troops. A few weeks of unsuccessful attacks on St. Louis forced federal soldiers to look for an alternate way of taking the city. Several thousand men flanked the city, and moved on St. Charles and O'Fallon, cities near St. Louis. The assault on O'Fallon, with much of it falling into Hoosier Army hands in a few days. However, in the same time, troops were barely able to break the rebel frontline in St. Charles.

The push in the south of the state continued moving forward, with victory after victory going to the feds, and county after county surrendering to the advancing army. Once they reached the Mark Twain National Forest, things took a turn for the worst. After months of massive gains, it seemed the state would fall to government hands simply from the success in the south. It was even hoped to surround St. Louis and link the southern forces with the central Missouri troops. However, once reaching the Mark Twain National Forest, rebel troops first dug-in and held their positions, then repelled the advancing federal army. They chased and harassed the government troops all the way back to only a few miles from the I55. Months of fighting and advancing, undone.

Federal troops reorganised after the months of failed assaults and slow advances, and attacked again. This time, the focus was on East Prairie, in order to get a foothold in the state and secure another section of I-55 and several small highways and roads. They took East Prairie, but were stopped right at I55, unable to take the rebel positions. Farther north, Pocahontas, Perryville, and Bloomsdale also came under attack. The hope was to take even more sections of I-55 and support the attack of St. Louis from the south. Renewed success in the south was met with the same story as before in the north: Stalemate and slow advances.

After losing positions in the south, the Madisonian Army pushed in both the north and central parts of the state. They attempted to retake the eastern portion of St. Louis, and throw federals back into Illinois in the north. In the north, they pushed the Hoosier Army back into Illinois, but later, with massive air support, federals advanced again and retook their positions, and even advanced farther. In St. Louis, neither side got the upper hand.

All the while the main army of both sides fought, guerrillas and unrest caused trouble for the rebels and the government, but particularly the government. Constant rebel attacks on government held cities and installations caused large amounts of damage. Riots, over food and unrest, destroyed entire neighborhoods and burned sections of cities. Riot police and soldiers tried to keeps things calm, but they had a lot on their hands. After live rounds were used on rioters and looters in Cleveland, other cities began to calm down. Roads, bridges, dams, and other kinds of infrastructure was destroyed and damaged. The economy took a hit, and many were jobless. Some lost their homes, while others left them voluntarily. Roving bands of murderers, robbers, rapists, and other criminals dominated the more isolated areas of the country, were federals and rebels alike didn't constantly patrol. Rural towns suffered the most at the hands of bandits, as did travelers.

All over the nation, people suffered.

[Cedoria]

South-West Hoosier

Colonel James Clark and his officers continued to direct the advance into the ruined Missouri farming town. The battle's devastation had wreaked havoc on this little community. Most of the remaining buildings were now dangerously unstable, partially collapsed rubble from whence snipers tried their luck or the few remaining civilian families hid who had been unable to evacuate.

As under rebel barrage battered Houston's forces, Clark sighed audibly. A decorated veteran of the Cedorian War (in which he had been wounded slightly by one of the many Cedorian airstrikes in Ephesis), Clark was a soldier who had seen far too much death and destruction to be unduly troubled by it. He had simply, put it out of his head.

Yet this, this was different.

Civil war had stirred up a range of emotions he did not know he still possessed. Upon hearing the news of the victory of General Houston, his old commander in the Cedorian War, to the Presidency, he had initially been unpersuaded by rumors of election rigging. Then the evidence began to trickle in, accusations ranging from wild to well-substantiated. Clark, an intelligent and perceptive man, held true to the old saying, "With smoke, there is fire".

Slowly, as more and more evidence surfaced, a mounting sense of outrage permeated him. What had the revolution been about, if not to have a free Hoosier? Rigged elections was a Communist ploy, used by the Cedorians, among other godless men and women. He began to think ill of his former commander.

Eventually, he had decided he could not live passively in a country which he no longer recognised as his. He had joined the Madisonian rebels within weeks of their formation, commanding the victory and subsequent retreat from Chicago. Since then, he had gained a reputation as one of the best Commanders in the now well-equipped and trained rebel army.

Since the liberation of St Louis, the battlelines had shifted fluidly across the south-west, although Madisonian forces still penetrated into small pockets elsewhere in the country when it was required. But ultimately, the stalemate of the past three months had not yet been broken. The news that Courtney Madison's own brother, Johnny, had taken up with the usurper President Houston was a blow, but even worse was the information, garnered by rebel intelligence, that he was the head of a special taskforce designed to capture his sister. So far, Madison had eluded her brother's clumsy efforts by constantly shifting HQ's, and occasional misdirection from her staff.

A few months ago, they had even managed to lure Madison into an ambush from which he barely escaped. Many of his taskforce had been killed, and the boy himself had barely escaped alive. No further attempts to capture or kill Courtney Madison had since been attempted, and some began to hope that Houston had tired of Johnny Madison's efforts.

Clark's lieutenant, Clara Fox, interrupted his reverie.

"Sir, HQ has called us back. The bombardment's done enough. They've ordered us back to HQ for R&R before we have further orders."

Clark grinned at Fox, she was an exceptional officer all things considered, and her more flamboyant and haranguing style blended extremely well with his cautious, methodical strategies.

"Of course Lieutenant, any word on St Louis?"

"Lines are holding there sir, Feds can't push us out no matter what they do, we're still holding firm"

Clark nodded.

"Good to know Lieutenant, get the troops packed up, I don't want the enemy re-grouping and hitting us in the rear while we rotate back."

Fox saluted grimly.

"Yes sir".

Poras, People's Republic of Cedoria

PIA Director Leroy Schultz had every reason to be happy.

Why not? Just one bottle will do fine, after all, it's a call for celebration.

After months of careful planning and manuovering, it was as if the very stars had aligned in his favor. His fellow conspirators in both the Party and the security services had finally succeeded in converting the Commissar of Defence to their side. Party, Security, Army. With the major organs of state power now under his direct influence, Schultz was soon ready to move against Chairman Sorenson.

His motivations were simple, why should it be that Party bureaucrats whose only achievements where years spent greasing wheels and kissing butts be the ones who reach supreme power? Why not those who exercised their ingenuity, their skills, nay, their genius, on behalf of the People's Republic, and the protection of it's people? What did those men who spent years playing the power games that so often characterised the internal structure of the ruliing Communist Party have that he, Schultz, did not?

The fact that the Party itself had deliberately selected state leaders only from within the ranks of the bureaucrat since the rules instituted by Chairman Vallance (the most legendary leader of the country's history), worried him not a jot. That was the past, HE, Schultz, was the future.

His agents in the Hoosier Alliance still reported regularly, with good progress, the country growing weaker by the day, and their ironclad grip on Courtney Madison remaining undisturbed. Best of all, their influence remained hidden to most of the military arm of the Madisonian rebels. While Houston regularly took to the airwaves to rant about "Cedorian interference" without proof, the Cedorians simply pointed to his long history of anti-Cedorian statements (not to mention his record, as a General he had been defeated by Cedorian forces in the war between the two nations), and laughed in his face. The international community was inclined to dismiss such rambling, particularly as Houston appeared to be, 'losing his grip' in his public appearances, and not just on his country.

Soon, he would recall his agents back. Let the rebellion collapse if necessary, he had done his part, and done it well. Once he was in the Chairman's seat, there would be no further need for the grand game of sabotage, subterfuge and deception that had so destabilized the Hoosier Alliance. The objective would be achieved, poisoning the country irreparably and weakening it for years, perhaps decades, to come.

He opened his wine, and shared a sole toast to the downfall of his enemies.

[The Hoosier Alliance]

Indianapolis, Indiana
Johnny Madison sat alone in Houston's office, running his hand over the scar that ran down is his left cheek. Johnny received that scar from a rebel soldier's combat knife during the ambush they walked into a few weeks back. While Johnny and his team were able to take down a fair amount of rebels, half his team was dead. They were replaced, however, and they continued on their mission. They hit rebel locations with possible information, interrogated enemy officers, and even helped create propaganda. Still, in all that time they have come up with empty handed. Sometimes that attack a previous HQ a few days or weeks after his sister was moved, or stumble into somewhere that never was a headquarters.

Now, he sat, waiting for Houston. He expected nothing but scorn. Johnny stood up as the door opened, and in walked Houston. "General," Johnny said, "I'm here, just like you requested." Houston nodded, closed the door, and walked around to sit behind his desk. Johnny sat again, in one of the two chairs in front of the general's desk. "So," Houston began, "In all this time, we have nothing but a body count. Yes, you've done a damn fine job of clearing out enemy positions sowing destruction and chaos behind rebel lines. That fact hasn't escaped me." Johnny eased up, hoping that Houston wouldn't go into one of his rages. He thought he was out of the woods.

"However, Johnny, that isn't exactly WHAT I GAVE YOU THE TASK FORCE FOR!" Houston shouted those last words, bringing his fist down on the table, hard. The general breathed heavily, as he continued, "You haven't fulfilled you end of the bargain. All you've done is kill people. If that's what I wanted, I could have sent anyone. Now, I'll make this simple: Get me results, or face the consequences. Understood?"

Johnny said nothing, he just nodded. He didn't dare say anything and risk angering him. "Then you're dismissed," Houston said, looking away from Johnny, and focusing on some papers on his desk. Johnny stood up, and left the office. Outside, General Jones was waiting for him. "Johnny! How are you?" He asked, turning to walk with the boy. "I'm fine general. How are you?" Jones nodded, "I'm doing fine, just fine." He lowered his voice as he continued, "How'd the talk with Houston go?" Johnny shrugged, "As fine as you might guess. He's pissed."

"Yeah," Jones said, "He's pissed about just about everything nowadays. Don't take it personally. I think your doing a fine job. I mean, before the war, you had no formal military training. Now, you're clearing out rebel positions and interrogating officers like it was nothing. You shouldn't worry, we'll get Courtney, and we'll make her pay for all the suffering she's caused." With that, Jones patted Johnny on the back, and turned around to walk the other way. Johnny just sighed, and continued on to meet with his team. He had more intel to gather and positions to hit.

[Toscana and Emiglia-Romagna]

To: Senator Jack Portland
From: Hoosier Minister of Foreign Affairs

The people and government of the Hoosier Alliance thank you for your kind words, and the president himself sends his regards. You and your people are welcome and invited to visit our great capital city to meet with our glorious leader, but we must warn you. Marital law has been declared nation wide to counter the actions of anti-government terrorists.
The capital is safe, with no terrorist activity, but several cities are experiencing attacks. While you are invited, and your safety will be guaranteed, we ask that you fully consider a trip to our nation and take every precaution. Should you arrive, you will be given a military escort through the city to ensure your safety. Once more, we thank you for your kind words and want you to know that you are welcome here!

Exactly. We all know he was a communist.lol

[Cedoria]

Somewhere in South-West Hooiser
Clark clicked his heels and saluted Courtney Madison, the legitimate President of the Hoosier Alliance. With a small gesture, she invited him to sit, but Clark remained upright. He insisted on formality with his superiors, even if those same superiors were willing to engage on a less formal basis.

"You've done well Colonel", Madison began, "We have Houston's forces on the run in three districts, and are beginning to make preparations for a major offensive in the districts of St Louis still held by the traitor Houston. The city is almost a smoking ruin at this point, but nevertheless, our continuing to hold it is a vital symbol that our resistance to Houston's usurpation is alive and well. For now Clark, I've no further need for your services, and you can take some R&R".

Madison gave him a gentle smile, clearly indicating that Clark could speak. He hesitated, clearly about to ask something.

He never got a chance, the moment he was about to open his mouth, a man burst into the room from a side-door.

"Courtney, Courtney, we need to speak!" yelled the man.

Hastily tidying his crumpled clothing he saluted Clark clumsily,

"Apologies for the interruption Colonel, but this is urgent, Madame President, may we speak alone?" he asked.

About to reply, Courtney never got the chance.
"Don't worry yourself on my account, I was just showing myself out," Clark replied. Evidently, whatever he'd been about to say could wait.

"Good, Good," replied the man distractedly. As Clark was about to turn to leave, the man raised his left arm and placed it gently upon Courtney's shoulder.

THAT got Clark's attention. He had seen it only for a moment, but he had seen it...

Inside the jacket of the man now whispering hurriedly in Courtney's ear, was a small insignia sewn into the fabric.

A flag Clark had seen years ago, on the side of tanks on a battlefield far away.

The flag of the People's Republic of Cedoria.

Evidently, the Cedorians were helping Courtney...


Feeling sick to his stomach, Clark saluted and walked out of the room. Feeling as though he might vomit, he strived desperately to keep his expression under control as emotions whirred through his head. Anger, disgust, foolishness.

How could she DO this to them?


Did Madison know she was being manipulated? She couldn't not, Clark decided. If she didn't, it hardly mattered, the Cedorians had influence over the rebels.

He had been deceived, worse, he had deceived himself. If the rebels were under some level of Cedorian influence, Clark also betted that they had something to do with the outbreak of the war.

He couldn't continue fighting for the Madisonians. Only he was a rebel now, a traitor. If he didn't fight, where could he go? What could he do?

Without really realising it, he'd found himself in the control room. There, he almost rank straight into Lieutenant Fox, back from duty.

"What is it Commander?" the brunette asked. She knew Clark well enough by now to know something had thrown him off-balance.

Clark shook his head vigorously.

"It's nothing Lieutenant, The President says to get some rest, you've done well in the field. However, there is one thing I'd like you to do for me before you go." he asked, mind rapidly working.

"Anything sir", Fox replied. She had worked with Clark enough to gain a respect for his formidable battlefield abilities.

"FInd me a quiet room to be able to make encrypted communications. I have a top-secret contact I've been asked to use for the war effort, and I need to talk with them in complete privacy." Clark lied, hoping she didn't find this request unusual.

Fox nodded briskly.

"Certainly sir, I'll have one within the hour."

A small twinge of guilt tugged at Clark as he grinned at her, but there was no turning back now, not after his meeting with Madison...

"Thanks Lieutenant, what would we do without you?"

Then he turned, and left.

[The Hoosier Alliance]

Indianapolis, Indiana

Johnny Madison walked out of the Capitol building, toward a convoy of waiting military vehicles. There were about a dozen or so Humvees, all but one filled with waiting Hoosier soldiers. The middle Humvee was surrounded by elite troops that make up part of Johnny's special forces team. "Sir," one of the members spec ops team said, "How did your meeting with Houston go?" Ignoring him, Johnny opened the door to the passenger seat of his Humvee and ordered, "Alright boys, let's pack it up and get the hell outta here." Soldiers put the cap on their canteens, snuffed out their cigarettes, and finished their conversations as they quickly mounted up. Within two minutes, the lead Humvee was pulling past the security gate that lead onto the road that would take them through Indianapolis. "Sir," the same Hoosier Seal said to Johnny, "How did your meeting with Houston go?"

Johnny shook his head. "It went as bad as you might expect, Reynolds. He's still prone to his...outbursts. The fact that we haven't found Courtney sure didn't help." Reynolds nodded, "What's our next move then?" Johnny shrugged. "I have no clue. We've cleared out every possible HQ we've come across and came up empty handed. I already have most of my men searching for her, but I ain't getting much. I dunno. Maybe head back toward the front. We could snag some officers, hope they have something. Heard a battalion from the Hoosier Army in St. Louis accepted a couple dozen rebel deserters last night. They might know something."

"Rebel deserters, sir?" Reynolds asked, a little shocked. "I didn't think our boys were supposed to take prisoners." Johnny looked out the window at the passing buildings as the convoy went on aimlessly. To make it more difficult for the enemy to anticipate his movements, Johnny constantly keeps anyone that he doesn't trust out of the loop until absolutely necessary. That includes his escorts. This time, however, the reason he didn't tell them anything, is because he doesn't know where to go next, or what to do.

"They're not supposed to," Madison said, answering Major Reynolds question, "but these assholes didn't surrender in a firefight. They crossed the Mississippi during the night and turned themselves in. Guess it was too much for them. Still though....it's not much to go off of. There weren't any officers, just conscripts. They likely didn't know anything, but it's a start."

Before Johnny could give the order to get him to the airport, a call came over the radio. "Cardinal One, this is Cardinal Three, come in, over." Johnny looked away from Reynolds and picked up his radio. Reynolds simply went back to driving. "Cardinal Three, this is Cardinal One, what is it, over?"

"Sir, your ops camp just contacted me over our emergency line, says there something vital to the war effort that you need to hear. Should we head back to the comms tent? Over."

Johnny frowned. Why would they have to head out of the city and go to his temporary operating base? Why couldn't they just speak over their secure emergency line? "Why can't we speak over the secure line? Do we really need to head back to camp? Over."

"I dunno sir. All he said was that it was too important to discuss over even this line. Should we redirect sir? Over."

"Yes," Johnny said, "Redirect to field HQ. This better be good. Over and out."

15 minutes later...
As the convoy rolled into the small special forces camp, a few miles outside of Indianapolis, a comms officer came to greet Johnny. "Sir," the officer began, "I have important news. News for your ears only." Johnny shook his head, "Reynolds and his men are fine. Just spill it." The officer shook his head. "Sir, you don't quite understand. Right now, only two men know something that could change the course of the war, and that's me and the young man that told me. I am 100% certain that I do not have the clearance to know it myself. Please, step into the comms tent with me. Alone." With that, the officer turned and walked into the tent behind him.

Reynolds patted Johnny on the shoulder, "I'll get my team ready for whatever. Give me the word, and we can be ready to move out and act on whatever the hell this is." With that, he walked away, leaving Johnny to enter the comms tent. As he entered, he came up behind the officer. "So, what is it that's so damn vital?"

The officer turned, and backed away, revealing a young man listening in on a radio. Oddly, the rest of the tent was empty, even thought there was enough equipment to keep another dozen men busy, at least. "This young officer has something vital, sir. I'll allow him to explain."

The boy cleared his throat, "A few minutes ago, someone contacted me on a secure channel. Usually, I just deal with logistics, but this seemed urgent. I have no idea how he contacted me, but he did." Johnny nodded, "Alright, but what did he say?" The young man handed Johnny the headphones. As Johnny put them on, he said, "Sir, he knows where Courtney is."

[Cedoria]

Clark waited until he was handed over. Once it was clear that he had the right line. He spoke.

"Listen carefully, I don't have a lot of time so I'll be brief. My name is Colonel John Clark. Until recently I was an officer in the rebel army fighting for Courtney Madison. Like many, I was taken in by false Communist propaganda that suggested my old commander, President Houston, had unlawfully rigged the election for President against Madison. I have however, just learned a terrible truth. I have formal eyes-on proof that Courtney Madison's inner circle has been penetrated by Cedorian communist intelligence officers. Their manipulation of Madison and her inner circle is driving the war. If you give me an hour I can have the coordinates of Madison's current location transmitted to you for her capture to be effected."

The person on the other end of the line paused, clearly considering what to say.

"Very well, what do you want in return?"

Clark launched straight into his spiel.

"I want a full amnesty and restoration of my commission back into the Armed Forces. I understand I was technically guilty of treason, but I was unwillingly misled by false and deceptive propaganda. If I help you, I want an assurance that I won't be harmed. I hope that giving up Madison's location will serve as proof of my repentance."

Another pause. Some whispering in the background.

"Very well. You have an hour, then I want the coordinates."

Clark exhaled, the breath he didn't realise he was holding poured out of him.

"Thank you. Give me an encrypted data channel and I'll transfer the coordinates by 0600 hours."

The channel was relayed. Clark closed the comm.


Then he began to move, toward his private bunker room. He had a lot of work to do if he was to get his old life back...

Elsewhere in Rebel HQ

David sweated profusely as he delievered the report to Courtney. Examining her smooth, unblemished face, he detected dark circles under her eyes, and an unmistakable weariness.

She's losing the war, and she knows it. And she wonders where we go next...

"In short, we've lost another dozen soldiers to desertion last night on the Missouri front. While the rest of the troops are holding firm, the defections from government forces have dried up, and if we're having defections the other way, things will only get worse unless we act."

Courtney shook her head.

"But what am I to do, David?" she exclaimed, wringing her hands, "If the troops are trying to desert, how can we stop them, and if we can't stop them, how can we nip this problem before it becomes something that costs us the war?"

She's still so young. thought David, just realising Madison was only recently twenty. He tried to imagine whether he himself at twenty would've been prepared for the responsibility of running a civil war against his own countrymen. He shuddered as he realised he definitely would not been. He'd barely been a relatively bad Academy student at the time. Only when he'd been transferred to the Intelligence section of the Academy, some years later, had he proven his aptitude. The pure soldiering aspect had never appealed to him.

The realisation of her strength made him admire Courtney even more.

Suddenly, he hated himself, and his country, for what it was doing to her. They had pushed her into civil war, stoked her fears and played on her inexperience. She had been a pawn in a game of power, a brutal game. To weaken the Hoosier Alliance, eliminate the threat it posed to Cedoria, without spilling a drop of Cedorian blood in the process.

Ingenuius? Yes, certainly. But a cold-blooded scheme. It should've been something routine. The sort of thing the PIA had done before, albeit on a smaller scale, many times. But being close to Courtney, coming to know her as he did, had shaken his resolve.

Caught awash by a sudden wave of overprotectiveness, he swore he would rather die than let any harm come to her, and even if his own government ordered him to, he wouldn't obey...


"With all due respect Madam President. I believe that, given the circumstances, extreme measures are required."

She looked at him sharply.

"What are you suggesting David?"

He swallowed, but forged on. It had to be done.

"Impose the penalty of death for desertion. And inform all our front commanders that any man trying to abandon the army are to be shot on sight, their widows and children denied the compensation that would have otherwise been theirs had they served honourably."

Madison stared at him, wide-eyed.

"Oh David, I can't!," she wailed, aghast. "Kill the deserters I can see the sense of, some punishment for treason is warranted in our present circumstance. But I will NOT consent to punishing the families of those who desert for the crimes of their loved ones. It's against everything I believe!"

Johnson shrugged.

"We all do things in wartime we wouldn't do under other circumstances. Think about it, a man who deserts, knowing the penalty is death, probably doesn't care about his own life. But if a man knows that his family won't be looked after, even if he manages to successfully escape? Very few people would take that option Madam President. Very few. If we are to stamp out this problem, we must stamp on it totally."

He had convinced her, he knew it... And hated himself for it.

Madison's piercing blue eyes were cold, resolute now.

She nodded crisply.

"Yes, you are right of course David, we must all do our duty, however unpalatable it may be. I will transmit the orders myself."

And that, thought David, is how war corrupts us all. Once you start the self-justification. Down the rabbit hole you go. It never ends.

He resigned himself, just once, to addressing her informally.

"I know it's a hard decision Courtney, but our responsibility is too great to do anything less. Especially now. So far into our war."

She looked up at him.

"You've never called me Courtney before," she smiled.

He gave an answering grin, although a rather sour one.

"You've always called me David. I figured I should return the favour."

Then he turned, and left the room abruptly, so he didn't abruptly burst into saying what he really wanted to say, but knew he never could.


Poras, People's Republic of Cedoria

Chairman Treavor Sorenson sat at rich mahogany desk, with a high backed swivel chair to support his tall, lean frame. A graduate of a major Poras Military Academy, and former PRA officer, Sorenson's bearing reflected his manner, crisp, resolute, decisive.

Listening to the report on the Hoosier operation from PIA Director Schultz filled him with quiet contentment. Like his predecessor, Chairwoman Tizack, he understood the threat posed by their old enemy. Unlike the old woman's plans though, HIS operations against Hoosier had crippled it, almost beyond repair, with not a single Cedorian life yet lost.

Thus far, the Cedorian involvement in the civil war had been concealed remarkably well. The fact that the rebels were indisputably armed with Cedorian weaponry was neatly defended by the fact that Cedoria sold weapons to many nations, some of whom not always it's closest allies. Their most important in the Americas, Venezuela, was openly funding and arming the rebels. The Cedorians themselves formally claimed that once the Venezuelans had bought the weapons, they had no control over what happened to them. The agreement between Sorenson and his Venezuelan counterpart to use Venezuela as the transit point for Cedorian support of the rebels was a secret one.

Thus Venezuela became a smoke-screen to muddy the waters and deny Cedorian involvement. Though President Houston made a speech virtually every second day accusing Cedoria of involvement with the rebels, the whole world knew of the enemity between the two countries, as well as Houston's personal hatred of the Cedorians dating back to his days as the commanding officer in the Hoosier-Cedorian War (which had ended rather poorly for the Hoosiers). Most fair-minded international observers dismissed his allegations as sour grapes, or at least thought it likely that Houston's growing authoritarianism and (allegedly) paranoia also played a role in those accusations.

For now though, Sorenson knew the war was drawing to an end, and while he needed Schultz kept in play for the continued running of the meticulous operation, he also knew he faced a far closer threat...

Yet he did nothing. Laying inert in a stagnant pool. He let them believe he knew nothing.
.
The beast must grow all it's fangs before you pull them out. That way there's none left to give their poisonous bite.

He had received word of Schultz's plot from an insider months ago, but had, upon consideration, allowed him to continue it. If he allowed Schultz to draw all his internal enemies, in the Party, the Armed Forces and the intelligence agencies together, he could eliminate them all in one great stroke.

One of Sorenson's old Academy instructors had written in praise of him in a report to his CO on his placement. The sentence had stuck in his mind ever since.

"Sorenson's a clever one, brave too. Half lion and half fox."

But as he dismissed Schultz from his office with a brisk nod and a quick salute, Sorenson knew that the old characterisation wasn't quite true.

He was all snake...

Let all the poison in the mud hatch out, then cut it away. Yes, that's the way of doing it. Especially with all the enemies I still have in the Party. I can't draw their fangs without letting them sprout.

[The Hoosier Alliance]

Johnny Madison gripped the top of his Benelli M4 shotgun as he loaded rounds into. All around him, members of his special forces team prepared for the assault on Courtney's compound. Several helicopters were getting ready to take them in under the cover of darkness, within a few miles of the underground bunker, currently used by Courtney. As Johnny finished loading his weapon, he picked up and put on his ballistic vest.

Only a few hours ago, the rebel defector had given Johnny and his men the coordinates to Courtney. For the past few weeks, the rebel command had been taking up residency in a vacant farm house, a few miles south of Jefferson City. To be more specific, they occupied the underground bunker beneath it. It wasn't very large at first, but it was easy enough to expand in the time they've been there. A false family, made up of rebel soldiers, stayed in it during the day to give the appearance of a normal home.

"Sir, we're ready," came a voice from behind Johnny. He turned, and met the gaze of one of his men. Johnny nodded and said, "Good. Let's get the hell of out here and get that bitch."


Indianapolis, Indiana
"I don't know what to do," said Mark Lee, one of the generals that made of the Junta that helped govern Hoosier. "Houston isn't getting better. I can't remember the last time he made his own decision. I hate that we have to keep telling him that our decisions are his. I hate the fact that he believes us even more." He shook his head as the other generals sitting around the table in their personal dining room expressed their agreement.

"No one likes this, Mark," General Jones said. "I hate it, you hate it, we all do. That doesn't change the fact that this is what it is. I would love to change the situation, but we can't. Something is wrong with Houston, and he refuses to let a doctor look at him." Jones let his head rest in hands. "It's getting harder and harder to hide his condition from the people. What will they all say if they knew he was...like this? What would they do? I can't even imagine how we could even begin to hide it from the Hoosier people during peace time. Something must be done."

Everyone was silent for a moment, until General Jefferson spoke up, "Does that mean what I think it means?" Jones nodded. "If the people knew what he was like, chaos would ensure, during or after the war. We won't be able to keep it from them after the war, and we can't let them know. So, there's only one option." All the men at the table shared wide eyed glances at one another. "You can't possibly mean-"

"I do," Jones interrupted. "We have to, for the good of the Alliance." A few men stilled looked nervous, but they nodded along with everyone else. They all knew what had to be done.

[Cedoria]

Hoosier Rebel HQ, 2200 hours
BOOM!. A massive explosion rocked the compound. Ears ringing, David Johnson dived sideways as the bursts of gunfire ripped through the air. Curling himself up into a ball, he crawled, commando style, towards the closest door.

Opened by a soldier mere moments ago, Johnson slipped inside it and unhooked his sidearm. Peering around the edge of the open door, his eyes quickly adjusted to the myriad figures moving through. A hole had been blasted in the sidewall, and a squad of around a dozen soldiers was moving into the room, steadily mowing down nearby rebels.

Courtney,a bolt of fear shot through him. He knew why they had come, Houston had found them, at last. And there were no prizes for guessing who these troops were after...

The smoke and dust was now clearing, and sillohoutes of the men with guns moving into the next door on the other side of the room came into view.

Johnson, still lying on his stomach, mentally calculated the nearest route to Courtney's sleeping quarters.

damnit,

The attackers were between him and Courtney's present location. Unless he managed to get in front of them, they'd reach her before he could...

Mentally cursing himself for being so lax, Johnson doubled back and ushered himself through a side door. Silently gesturing to a pair of cowering rebels, he began too circle around to the other end of the building...


Elsewhere in the building

Courtney Madison, always a heavy sleeper, awoke to the sound of her door being violently smashed in. Before her eyes had fully adjusted to the gloom, armed men with guns had her head in their laps, violently tying a gag in between her teeth to prevent her from yelling or crying out.

She didn't remember much afterwards, as she hit her head on the wall as they lifted her up. But she heard shouting, gunshots, smelled fire and blood...


Hours later, she awoke roughly, as the whirring of a helicopter's rotors brought her back to the world. Staring down at her was a harsh, grinning face. A face she knew well...


"Welcome sister, it's been a long time. Father would like to have a word with you." Johnny Madison stated.


Hours later

Johnson cursed, swore, screamed and raged. No longer caring who was aware of the fact that he was a Cedorian (thereby confirming the country's support for the rebels) he screamed at the terrified rebel officers to find some, any inkling of where Courtney had been taken.

The attack had been launched via air insertion, and the attackers had been carried out the same way... Now if only he knew somebody who had access to the kind of info who would know where Courtney was likely to be taken...


Almost on cue, his cell phone buzzed. But it was not John Clark who spoke when he answered it.

"Sir? One of your fellow operatives gave me this number. It's Lieutenant Clara Fox.we have another serious problem..."

[The Hoosier Alliance]

Hoosier Rebel HQ, 2200 Hours
Johnny Madison slide the blade of his combat knife out of the neck of the rebel soldier he had snuck behind. As the rebel went limp, Johnny gently laid the corpse on the floor. He crouched down, took his Benelli M4 from one of his men behind him, and continued down the dimly lit hallway. They were leaving a small trail of corpses behind them, three guards since they entered the underground compound, and the three rebels making up the false family that inhabited the house the bunker was built under. So far, no alarms had been raised. Johnny and his team were able to successfully get passed the security door that lead into the base, after typing in the keycode given to them by the rebel defector.

The Hoosier special ops team moved on, silently. They stayed together as a team, other than the man that hung back to stash body. "Here," Johnny whispered as he reached the section of the wall they were looking for. Once they blasted through, they would be able to take the main force of rebels by surprise. It also happened to be a reasonable distance from Courtney's room, where she most likely would be. Even if she wasn't there it wouldn't matter. A few men continued on passed Johnny to secure the main corridor to prevent Courtney from escaping.

Johnny moved aside as the explosives expert began to rig C-4 to the wall. With a nod, the soldier backed away from the wall. The team moved to a safe distance. "Move in the moment the wall is breached. Three...two...one." With that, Johnny detonated the explosives, creating a large hole in the wall. The soldiers moved in immediately, weapons raised. A few rebels had been killed in the blast, while the others in the room were dazed and confused by what had just happened. Five rebels were cut down by sub-machine gun fire. Johnny moved in the midst of his team. He leveled his shotgun at the nearest rebel. With one shot, Johnny sent the traitor flying backwards over a desk, knocking the radio equipment and papers onto the floor.

On the other side of the room, about a dozen or so rebels came pouring out of a door in response to the commotion. Most of them were shot dead within seconds, before they could even determine what exactly was going on. The others took cover behind desks and concrete supports. Johnny quickly moved along the right side of the room, which appeared to be used for communications, and stopped near a door. It was obvious that this room was freshly dug by the rebels after they had moved in. If Clark was right, the room should be a barracks filled with soldiers. The door suddenly flew open, and a man in half combat gear, half nightwear, stood in the doorway. Acting quickly, Johnny shoved the barrel of the Benelli M4 into his stomach, and pulled the trigger. The man was forced back a few feet, and then fell down dead. Before any of the other men inside could react, Johnny pulled the pin on a grenade and tossed it in. He then slammed the door shut and pulled a cabinet down in front of the door to block it. Johnny turned his back as an the grenade exploded in the room. By now, most of the rebels had been dealt with. Only a few were left, and they were fleeing or surrendering. Johnny cocked his shotgun and lead a few of his men out of the comms room and into the hallway that should lead toward Courtney. Once they were outside her room, Johnny kicked down the door. Two of his men gagged her, then one of them hit her over the head with his sub-machine gun.

As they dragged her out, they passed the rest of his team as they were lining up the surrendering and captured rebels. Realizing what was about to happen to them, many of the rebels opened their mouths to protest. Before anyone could say anything, Johnny's men opened fire, executing all the rebels they found in the base after the raid. As Johnny continued with two of his men to the surface, the rest of his team began to loot the building for important documents and such. After they finished their search, they would rig the place with enough explosives to collapse the bunker.

As Johnny and the two men carrying Courtney reached the surface, Johnny radioed the evac helicopters to extract them. Part of the team would leave immediately, while the rest stayed to search the rebel HQ. As the helicopters landed in the open field near their location, group boarded one. The other would hold it's position while they waited for the rest of the soldiers to wrap up in the bunker. The helicopter lifted off, and headed toward their destination, his father's villa.

A few hours later...
Courtney groaned as she awoke to the sounds of the helicopter blades. Johnny noticed this and grinned as he towered over her. "Welcome sister, it's been a long time. Father would like to have a word with you." Her eyes went big as she realized the gravity of the situation. "We're nearing his villa now. He asked me personally to deliver you to him. Then, he'll hand you over to Houston. After that...well, I think you know what the General has planned for you."

Courtney tried to speak, but the gag didn't allow her to. "Should only be a few minutes. I can already see it in the distance." Johnny spoke the truth. The lights of the Madison family villa grew as the helicopter got closer and closer. The whole villa was surrounded by a wall that was manned by Hoosier soldiers. Ever since Garrick Madison stepped down as president, this is where he and his family, other than Courtney and Johnny, have lived. Soldiers patrolled day and night and workers tended to the large gardens, ponds, walkways, and everything else that filled the large villa. Most of the workers lived right on site in luxury, their children interacting daily with the Madison children. This was to insure that the kids had enough friends to play with and didn't suffer from a lack of social interaction. Everyone had been thoroughly vetted, and many had already formed a bond with the Madison family after the years they had worked for them while Garrick was president.

A small landing pad near the western wall was where the helicopter set down. Johnny pushed his sister out onto her knees and hopped out behind her. He roughly dragged her to her feet. A dozen armed guards were already waiting to escort her to the main house. Courtney, in handcuffs and gagged, was marched to the house to be shown to her father. Soldiers stopped and stared as she was walked to the large building in the center of the walled off territory.

"Is that her? Is that Courtney?" Some asked. "Holy shit, they got her." "My God, is the war gonna end soon now?"

The soldiers made other comments as they walked by. As they reached the porch of the enormous house, two soldiers that were watching the entrance opened it. The door lead right into a huge living room with wooden floors, a stone fireplace on one of the walls, stuffed animals from Garrick's hunting days along the walls, and an assortment of chairs and couches positioned to face a large screen T.V. The fireplace was crackling and casting shadows, and Courtney's mother and father sat in their respective chairs, waiting.

Above them, a chandelier hung two floors up, past the railing to the landing of the second floor. It was off and left the upper floor completely dark and the living room to be lit only by the fire. "Ah, Courtney. It's been far too long," her father, Garrick Madison, said. He pushed himself up out of his chair, removing his reading glasses and setting them near the Bible he had been reading on the coffee table. Her mother, Victoria, remained silent, though she stared at her daughter with misty eyes. "Come now son, is the gag and handcuff really necessary? I think we have her under control." Johnny nodded silently, understanding when his father was ordering him to do something rather actually asking him a question.

As the gag and cuffs were removed Garrick continued, "It's so nice to see you. I don't believe you've ever seen our villa. It's wonderful, isn't it? All of our previous gardeners, maids, and the like came with us. They get to live here too! James and Talia have made such good friends with workers' children. They love it here. We all do." Garrick sighed, "Too bad you weren't able to experience this place with your family."

Courtney retorted, "Only because I'm trying to restore democracy to Hoosier! Isn't that what you fought for in-" She was quickly silenced when her father hit her with the back of his hand. Her mother gasped, "Garrick! What has gotten-" He silenced her without looking, "Victoria, darling, our dear daughter requires some discipline. Please, stay out of this." Victoria didn't say another word.

"Now, Courtney, you know I love you. However, my duty comes first to this country, to my people."

"Funny," Courtney said, "I was going to say the exact same thing to you." Garrick laughed at this. "You sure do have an odd way of showing it. Plunging the whole country into civil war after refusing to accept a democratically elected president."

"I don't remember voting for Houston to dissolve Congress, or his little junta he has." Garrick shook his head, "Desperate times my dear, desperate times."

Before Courtney could respond, Garrick spoke again, "Enough of this. I'm not here to discuss politics with you. I'm here to tell you exactly what's going to happen. You see, we're doing to expose the Cedorian aid you've been receiving. We've known for a long time, now we have proof. Jones and I know all about Venezuela. They'll get theirs pretty soon, those Communist dogs. Once the rebels hear of it, and the fact that you've been captured, most of them will desert, defect, or lose the will to fight. Then, we'll crush your little "army", if you can even call it that. We'll hang every man and woman that played a role in your coup. Then, Hoosier will be rid of all traitors. Oh, and i"m sure you're wondering what I'm to do with you. Well, sweetheart, Houston will never so much as see you. Jones, on the other hand, will. You remember Jones, yes darling? He was that young man you had a crush on when you were a little girl. Well, once the war is over, him and I have big plans. Houston would want to have you hanged in Indianapolis and broadcast it live to the country. I can't let that happen. Believe it or not, I still love you. So, we'll lock you up until we mop up your forces, then decide what is to be done as a long term solution with you. I hope I can get Jones to allow you to stay here with us on the villa under permanent house arrest. We can be a family again. Just like before you stabbed us all in the back."

"Dad?" Everyone turned to look at Thomas, the middle child, as he leaned over the railing on the second floor. "Is that...." Garrick spoke as the boy trailed off. "Go back to bed." Instead of obeying his father, Thomas ran down the wooden stairs to the ground floor. The guards didn't know what to do, so they did nothing to stop him.

"Courtney!" He shouted as he embraced her. "You're home! You're really home! I didn't think I'd ever see you again. I'm so glad you're back." Courtney returned the hug, tears in her eyes. "Hey stupid. How ya been? It's great to see you." Thomas laughed as he tightened the hug. Then he pulled out of the hug and looked her in the eyes. He smiled until his father placed his arm on his shoulder. "Son, go back to bed. You'll have plenty of time to catch up with your sister. For now, leave us be."

Thomas protested, "No! I wanna-" Garrick cut him off, "Now boy!" Garrick snapped his fingers and ordered two guards to escort him back to his room, and make sure he, James, and Talia stayed their for the rest of the night. Garrick turned his back on Thomas as he shambled sadly back toward his room. "A convoy will be here by morning to take you someplace for holding. Once the war is over, we can discuss your permanent situation. Like I said, I hope you can come live with us. I still love you, even though you spit on everything I stand for, and everything I fought for." With that, gave her hug. He pulled her in close and whispered into her ear, "It's good to have you home, sweet-pea." After he broke the hug, her mother was all over her, hugging her, kissing her forehead and cheeks, and checking her for injuries. This went on for a while, until Garrick convinced her to stop. "Now, dear, there is no need to fuss. She's fine." Garrick turned to one of the soldiers and said, "Cuff her to the chair's arm rest, then get back to your duties." Courtney was sat down, cuffed to the chair, and the soldiers filed out, leaving the Madisons to themselves. Garrick turned on the T.V and said, "There, now we can pretend to be a normal family for a few hours before you get carted off. Doesn't that sound nice everyone?" Courtney's mother and father seemed very pleased, while her brother, Johnny, only gave her the same hateful stare that he had been giving her since they entered the house.

Outside the main house, the soldier tasked with guarding the villa celebrated. While it may have been premature, the men began to drink and eat the secret stashes they had accumulated near their posts. They sat around the fires they had started and began to sing, talk, and sleep. As far as they were concerned, the fighting was all but over.

[Cedoria]

Johnson reeled angrily, shouting orders left and right. No longer caring who saw him, no longer caring that their secret influence on the rebels were exposed.

According to long-standing PIA procedure, plans to evacuate the operatives back to Cedoria were now underway, as discovery meant their mission had been compromised.

Johnson however, had received one last task. A smile of grim satisfaction crossed his face as he got the order.

Fine, that's what I was going to do anyway.

Actually, he had two final tasks...


"Is this true Clark? It was you who gave away our location?" Fox demanded, pressing the barrel end of her gun into his temple. Her normally soft brown eyes blazing with anger at his treachery. He had been forcefully tied against the wall and shackled now for some minutes...

Clark did not deny it.

"Yes Clara, don't you see? It was the Cedorians, they manipulated everything! Courtney, the rebellion, probably even the election! They wanted a civil war to weaken us and rid themselves of a threat! Madison was wrong to trust them!"

But Fox only shook her head.

"You poor, stubborn, stupid fool!" she spat caustically "Do you think it matters who Madison got help from? If the Communists think she's a better choice, fine, I agree with them! Your head is stuck so far in the past you can't see it Clark. It doesn't matter if Hoosier opposes the Cedorians under Houston, because the thing that makes us different from them will be gone. What kind of lunatic believes that tyranny is needed to fight another tyranny?"

She continued in this vein, ranting on for some minutes. Clark's eyes were sad, but he did not feel contrite. On the contrary, he had done the right thing... Finally. The scales had lifted from his eyes, and he had realised his mistake. Now, with Madison gone, hopefully the war could end.

He knew he was going to die for his treachery, but if his death brought an end to the civil war that had plagued his country and ravaged his society, perhaps it would be worth it.


However, after about half an hour, Clark knew something was wrong, no further orders had come through, his expected execution hadn't arrived. Several metres away, he could hear his guards whispering excitedly amongst themselves, but try as he might, he couldn't make out the conversation...

Then, David Johnson swept into the room, a figure burning rage and hatred.

He jerked his thumb at Fox, and then at Clark.

"Lieutenant, uncuff the prisoner and bring him to the van waiting outside the compound. I've got a job for him."

If Fox was at all surprised by this turn of events, she didn't show it.

"Yessir, moving now."


Clark was shoved into the back of a black van, and then had a blindfold shoved over his head. Then into a waiting aircraft (helicopter? He couldn't tell for sure) and then again, into another road vehicle.

When his blindfold came off, he was in the back of another van, a repurposed SWAT vehicle used by rebel operatives in the war for deep strike and covert ops. Surrounding him were armed men with guns, all suited up and ready to fight. Looking outside the window, he realised it must have been near dawn. He had been travelling for almost twelve hours, and a prisoner for twelve before that...

Johnson was also their, his vest on and weapon holstered. Speaking to Clark, he explained his plan.

"Alright traitor, this is what you're going to do..."


Poras, People's Republic of Cedoria.

Watching his colleagues in the conspiracy walk into Chairman Sorenson's office, Schultz felt a thrilling surge. This was it, this was his moment. Sorenson would be obliged to call for a meeting of the Party's Central Committee, and put his leadership to vote, a vote he would lose...

All the years of plotting and scheming, for Cedoria, and then being overlooked for promotion, all because those at the top had a vested interest in keeping him down. Then Sorenson, inexperienced and lacking a strong powerbase, needing to rely on Schultz, offering the perfect opportunity for Schultz himself to get a blow under the ribs, as it were...


He waited for several minutes, but his pounding heart made every moment feel like a lifetime. As his crowd of supporters slowly thronged out of the Chairman's office, one gave him a thumbs up!

Schultz exhaled, a long, quiet breath that he hadn't realised he was holding.


This was it, they had won...

Now all that remained was the formality of the vote.


Back in Hoosier.

An unmarked black van drove up to the gates of Garrick Madison's private residence, as the former President, his home was well-guarded, as one would expect it too be, given the volatile political climate.


As the van stopped at the gate, one of the Hoosier guards (drunkenly) waved and motioned for the van to pull it's mirror down, the driver, a thin, wispy looking black-haired man in his early thirties, came into view.

"Hold it there", slurred the guard drunkenly.

"What business do you have with the former President?"

Back came the reply, cool, crisp and professional.

"I carry John Clark, rebel defector and the one responsible for bringing the information to Johnny Madison which led to the arrest of his sister, the murderer, rebel and traitor, Courtney Madison. Colonel Clark has come to receive Johnny's assurances that his own commission in the Hoosier armed forces will be re-activated, and he receives a pardon from criminal trial."


The guard stopped, narrowing his eyes suspiciously, something was wrong with this story, something...

He shook his head to clear it, the wine he had drunk was making him a little paranoid. Technically, regulations said he shouldn't have drunk at all, but with Madison captured and the war likely over, he had risked sneaking in a bottle (or three) under the noses of the watch sergeant in order to celebrate at his lonely post next to the guard.


"Alright then, I'll need to see your passenger's ID for clearance."


Slowly, the driver produced it, then the guard looked suspiciously at him again.

"Where is he? Is he in the back?" He demanded queruelously,

"In the back seat, yes" the driver replied, emphasising slightly the word 'seat'.

He rolled down the back window, allowing the guard to get a clearer look at the man sitting on the other side. Peering into the darkness, he recognised the same face as the one on the ID card in front of him.

He handed it back to the driver. For a moment, their hands touched and the guard suddenly felt what he thought was a sharp pain in his stomach.

"Thank you, you can go on".

The driver wound down his window and continued into the compound, driving through the now open gate.

Within seconds, the guard he left behind had collapsed, the poison from the small stiletto the driver had shoved into his gut quickly working its way through him.

Barely managing a small strangled cry for help, within minutes, he was unconscious, within a few more minutes, he was dead.


Poras, People's Republic of Cedoria

Armed guards lined the walls of the meeting, that was the first indication that something was off. The Central Committee normally met in complete privacy, with the exception of a single bureaucrat who took the minutes.

Today, that bureaucrat was absent, and as the members of the Central Committee ushered quietly into the room, a strange feeling swept over them.

Chairman Sorenson sat in total silence at the head of the table, his own stillness in the centre of a room otherwise bristling with weaponry seemed to those watching to be eerily unnatural.


He waited like this for nearly twenty minutes, until every member present in the capital had filed into the room.

This is it, Sorenson thought, it's now or never. Either I bring these people to heel, or they grind me to pieces, like a cat playing with a dying mouse.

Throwing his caution to the winds, he spoke when the last member had settled into the ominous silence.

"It's come to my attention that, as of a few hours ago, certain members of this Central Committee have plotted to remove from my position as Chairman."

This brief sentence sparked (impressively realistic) gasps of surprise. Some of course, knew full well that this was the truth, indeed, some sitting in this room had planned it.

"A delegation of sitting Party officials and bureaucrats visited my private office earlier today to inform me that they wished for an immediate vote of no confidence on my continued leadership of the Communist Party, this, some of you already know."

"What you did not know, is that this plot was aided and abetted by members of the Armed Forces and People's Intelligence Agency".

Dead silence, even from the conspirators, who knew full well that this was true.


But how did Sorenson know?

"Several weeks ago I became aware of this, and as is perfectly clear according to the rules of formal leadership transition, as handed down by Chairman Vallance Vallen, our greatest historical leader, the interference of armed organs of state power in what is purely a Party matter to influence the results of appointments or elections within the party is a clear violation of the Constitution, and of our own sacred processes."

Sorenson turned, and began to yell, surprising his audience, as the normally quiet, reserved Sorenson made his fury known.

"Those who have conspired to treasously unseat me have violated the most solemn principles of Party and Country. They conspired with the organs, in a way not seen since the coup attempt against Chairman Cekris, to violate our laws and constitutional processes to unseat me, the legitimately elected Chairman of the Central Committee!"

One of the others, Defence Commissar Bob Hewitt, spoke up, trembling.

"But Chairman! We are here to discuss the motion to remove you from your seat! The law says that you must respond to such a motion by calling for a vote!"

Sorenson laughed, a short, mirthless bark with no humour in it that made everyone jump, he rounded on Hewitt angrily.

"The law? The law? Don't talk to me about the law you steaming meat-sack! The law is not made to protect traitors! You and your fellow traitors violated the law for months before you set foot into my office this morning, you violated the law you want me to uphold? Nonsense! If you believe I will accord you the protection of the same law which you have not accorded to me, you are mad. Mad and stupid!"


Sorenson turned in his chair, gesturing to his guards. Some drew their weapons, causing confusion and near-panic in the room. One sprang forward and handed Sorenson a sheet of paper.

"I will now read out the list of names of those involved in this treason. For every name I call out, take that man or woman outside. For everyone still left in the room at the end, take them outside too, give them each a gun with one bullet and have them shoot one traitor."

Slowly, awfully, he began to read. His voice had returned to his normally quiet tone. Panic swept through the room as the conspirators were dragged out, one by one. Those who had been involved shivered, wondering how much Sorenson knew, and when their names would be called. Those who hadn't been wondered whether Sorenson knew less than he claimed, and would call out their names anyway. Out of sheer spite.

"Save us! Save us! Chairman Sorenson. All hail the Chairman!" cried one voice, soon joined by another one, desperately hoping he too would be saved.

"Long live the Chairman!"

Others joined in now, while Sorenson himself sat impassively, the pleas grew more earnest, tears of fear and stress streamed down the faces of his colleagues, and still, the names continued to be read, quietly, remorselessly.

When he finally stopped, the remaining members of the Central Committee were weeping with exhaustion and relief. Praising him to the skies.

With a quick, contemptuous glare, Sorenson stood up.

"Carry out my orders Captain" he stated to the guard nearest to the door, and swept from the room, leaving his weeping and wailing colleagues behind him.

In the Hoosier Alliance.

The pounding of gunfire eruped into the air. The front door burst open as armed men raced into the Madison's private mansion, slaughtering several of the drunken defenders who tried to resist.
"Find the former President, Find Garrick Madison", came the shouts, deliberately loud.

Those who defenders still of a mind to resist heard the shouts, and moved to fortify the rooms and hallways up to the former President's room

"Find Garrick Madison, kill Garick Madison" came the cries from the main body of rebel troops who had launched the sneak attack in the early morning hours.

At the rear of the group, a smaller group of three men silently peeled away, unnoticed by the defenders. These three hooded figures were armed, but not so ostensibly as the others.

Beneath his hood, Johnson grinned mirthlessly.

"Let's go and find Courtney."

Gunfire, shouts and screams continued, and within ten minutes, Johnson found her, the second floor living room. Chained to the chair's armrest.

"David"she whispered, weakly, recognising his face.

"Don't worry Courtney, it's going to be all right." came the response.

Swiftly, he cut her chains, then lifted her over his shoulder, his two comrades trailing on either side as they left the room. Radioing the other group, they confirmed they had her, and the main body began shifting the fight back towards the main hall.

Johnson and his two men arrived first, back to the first van that had driven through the gates. Now they were the first to leave, just as other rebel men burst from the villa, guns still firing behind them as they made for the second van (that had driven through after the death of the gate guard).

Slowly, Johnson pushed a bottle of water into Courtney's hands, letting her drink as the van sped away.

Away to the extraction point, and from there. Away, towards home.

[The Hoosier Alliance]

Outside of the main house, gunfire erupted. Bewildered Garrick Madison, his wife, and Johnny quickly got to their feet. "What the hell?" Garrick said. A soldier, standing just outside the door of the living room, burst in. "Sir, rebels are attacking the compound. We have to get you to safety." As the Hoosier soldier began herding Garrick and his wife toward the safe room, Garrick protested, "What about my children? We have to get them first!" Johnny interjected, "Don't worry father, I'll get them to the safe room. You and mom just get there, and we'll all meet up." Garrick nodded. "Here," he said, walking over to a display case near the wall just under a number of animal trophies, "Take this. I don't want you wandering the house with the pea shooter," Garrick said, in reference to Johnny's handgun attached to his hip. Garrick pulled out a Remington 870 hunting shotgun. He loaded it with the shells the nearby cabinet before handing it and additional rounds to his son. "Stay safe my boy." Johnny took the weapon and thanked his father. Before leaving, Johnny turned to the soldier escorting his parents, "Make sure to get some men down here to secure Courtney," he indicated to his sister with a jerk of his head, "Then you and I will haul ass back here once my family is secure." The soldier nodded, gave a quick, "Yessir!" and rushed Madison and his wife out of the room. Johnny shot his sister one last hateful glance, and made a break for his younger siblings.

"Find him! Find Garrick! Kill him!" Rebels shouted this and similar phrases as they rushed through the main house. Several Hoosier soldiers, thankfully sober, fired at them from behind furniture and from the second floor. Johnny kicked in a door and found himself right next to a traitor. Before the rebel could react, Johnny fired a blast point blank into his chest, sending him and the chair he was taking cover behind tumbling. He cocked the shotgun again and fired an additional round at another soldier, a woman, and caught her in the left shoulder. She screamed as she was hit and stumbled back before being quickly cut down by the fire of a M16A5 from the second floor. Johnny raced toward the stairs and quickly climbed up as a few bullets whizzed passed him. He ran behind the small line of troops firing down on the traitors. A lieutenant directing the firing turned to Johnny. "Lieutenant, where's my brothers and sister? Are they safe?" The lieutenant nodded, "Yessir, they're in their room, I got a guard on them." Johnny shouted over the gunfire, "Good. I'm here to take them to the safe room. I need you and your men to lay down covering fire for us. Hold your positions here, I'll be back with reinforcements. We can't let them take this house! The lieutenant nodded, "Of course sir, just give the word.

Johnny ran down the small hallway that lead to the bedrooms of his siblings. A young soldier, no older than sixteen, stood outside, weapon in hand. The soldier stepped aside as Johnny neared, allowing him in. Thomas and James, his two younger brothers, cowered in fear next to Talia, Johnny's younger sister. James and Talia were twins, only about six years old. All three sprang up and raced toward Johnny the moment he opened the door. They flooded him with questions, "What's going on? Where's mom and dad? Are we gonna die?" Johnny quickly hushed them.

"Don't worry guys, I'm gonna get you to the safe room. Just follow me, keep your heads down, and do what I say. Okay?" All three of them nodded their heads, eyes wide. Johnny exited the room and motioned for the young guard to follow. "You're going to join the fight out here, understand?" The private nodded. "I need you and the others to lay down suppressive fire while the kids and I make a break for it. I won't be long and will be back with others. Just hold out for a little longer. Can you do that?" Johnny asked. Again, the private nodded. When they neared the stairs Johnny signaled the lieutenant. "SUPPRESSIVE FIRE!" He shouted. The remaining Hoosier soldiers immediately began spraying bullets in the general direction of the rebels, forcing their heads down. Johnny and the kids took their chance and made for the hallway toward the safe room.

As they raced away from the fight, the got closer to the safe room at the other end of the house. The man that had escorted Garrick and his wife was waiting outside the steel door. He quickly entered the code to open the door and ushered the children in before locking it behind them. Garrick would see them on the security camera and unlock the second door, bringing them into the main part of the room. The soldier spoke, "Sir, I sent three men to secure Courtney, but by the time they arrived, she was gone." Johnny cursed. "Not your fault. We had to secure my family first. Besides, her capture has already had it's effect. The war will end soon. Now," Johnny said, cocking his Remington, "Let's pick up those three men of yours and assist our friends in the living room.


St. Louis, Missouri
All up and down the St. Louis line, the whole front line in fact, speakers blared. They shared the fact that Courtney had been captured with the rebels over the river, holding their positions. They have been for several hours. Radio and T.V had also been spreading that message. Photographs and video where presented. The hope was to get thousands of rebels to desert or surrender. For that night only, right after her capture, all rebels that surrender would be taken as P.O.Ws, rather than shot on sight. However, once the dawn assault began, it would be too late.

A captain in the Hoosier federal army swallowed hard. He had been part of numerous offensives during the war, mostly during the southern push and right here in St. Louis. However, he knew that this would be the last assault, the final struggle. St. Louis would fall. Then Jefferson City. Then, every single rebel holdout town, airstrip, and armory. The captain stood in the trenches that had been dug in the concrete of the city, in a small bunker built out of the salvaged material of the roads, piping, and everything else they would find. He waited for the signal. Then, he got it. Crackling over his radio was the series of code words. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then, he walked outside to join the many men he would be leading over a pontoon bridge that was just about finished. Without uttering a word, he, along with dozens of other officers, blew the whistle that hung around his neck. With a deafening roar, a bloodcurdling scream, and shouts of "For God and country!" thousands of infantrymen surged forward, weapons ready. Armor followed. Tanks rolled down the streets, over rubble and passed the bridges. Rifles fired, though far too few, to challenge their forces. Quickly, rebel positions were overrun immediately on the rebel side of the city. Traitors ran and were cut down. Hoosier soldiers were also killed, though in numbers few enough to allow the attack to continue.

All up and down the front line, the Hoosier government attacked. Jets took control of the majority of the skies and dropped bombs on rebel positions farther into the state. Soldiers and armor advanced together, providing one another with support. After thousands of rebels deserted and with the lack of the will to fight, the rebel line crumbled.


Madison family villa
With dozens of Hoosier soldiers dead and Courtney rescued, Johnny Madison could take comfort in only that the entire attacking rebel force had been wiped out. Every traitor laid dead, whether or not they tried to surrender after the tide of battle turned. Well, most of them were dead. The group that secured Courtney was long gone. It was too late to send a search party, and the garrison in the villa was still recovering. Some recovered from only the attack, while others nursed hangovers. While many Hoosier troops had been killed, the Madison family was safe. Johnny just cursed Courtney's name, and helped soldiers shore up the villa's defenses in case of another attack.

[Cedoria]

Poras, People's Republic of Cedoria.

Orders were sent out, the PIA group deployed to Hoosier was coming home. Chairman Treavor Sorenson gave the order personally, since the sudden 'liquidation' of PIA Chief Schultz had been carried out abruptly, and he needed time to find a replacement.

He would need somebody competent, and preferably unambitious. For too long the idea of potentially being political players had crept into elements of the People's Revolutionary Armed Forces, and particularly the People's Intelligence Agency. This attempt to replace the Party's elected General Secretary had been the culmination of that.

But the threat had been ended, at one stroke, Sorenson had asserted his own firm control over the apparatus of state and government, and had re-asserted the supremacy of the Party to choose its own leadership, and the leadership of the nation.

The constitutional structure laid down by Chairman Vallance had survived, despite the challenge it had endured.

The future was strong for Cedoria, and its Chairman.


Within a few hours, the People's Intelligence Agency operatives would be inbound from Hoosier. Despite the formal exposure of Cedorian involvement in the Hoosier uprising, the Venezuela connection had muddied the waters sufficiently that Cedoria still formally denied any attempt to support the rebels in the civil conflict. The fact that few now believed the denials was not a great loss.

Few had believed them anyway.

Although the mainstream uprising was defeated, Sorenson had known there was little realistic prospect of their victory, so he had poured weaponry and resources into keeping the rebels strong enough to carry on the war, weaken the Hoosiers, bleed the country dry, scar the landscape and the population, damage and destroy the infrastructure and morale of the nation. The surviving rebel forces were grouping together and moving south, hoping to establish border camps over the south-western Hoosier border. There, they would continue to run a low-level guerrilla insurgency campaign against Houston and his regime, prolonging instability without the need for excessive Cedorian involvement.

The initial task had been accomplished, and the low-level insurgency would hamper Hoosier efforts to rebuild their shattered society, and pick up the pieces. Cedoria had effectively removed a dangerous and irritating adversary, leaving her free to carry out her own designs with no risk of Hoosier interference, for the foreseeable future.

It had not been a victory for the rebels, but it had been a victory for Cedoria.

More pleasing was the news that rebel leader Courtney Madison had been liberated from confinement and, with the PIA operatives, was inbound to Cedoria. Sorenson was making the necessary arrangements for her housing and accommodation. She would be formally recognised by Cedoria as the legitimate President of the Hoosier Alliance, still, and her small entourage as a government-in-exile. If nothing else, she would be a useful propaganda tool for the future, and her continued speeches and defiance could be amplified by Cedorian propaganda and informational warfare to remind Hoosier society that she was still out there, still claiming to be their leader, again potentially hampering the society's rebuilding efforts under Houston and his junta. Madison had been a useful pawn in putting her own country down (albeit inadvertently), and she would be a useful pawn in keeping it down).

And who knew? If there came a time when the Party DID feel the need to replace the Hoosier regime, it was handy to have a suitable figurehead ready and waiting.


Sorenson was not a natural drinker, but for tonight, he felt the occasion called for celebration, His quiet purge of the Party and interfering service branches completed, his control solidified.

Moving from his chair, behind his rich mahogany desk, he went briskly to his alcohol cabinet on the edge of the room. Tentatively withdrawing a bottle, he then reached into the overhead cabinet and withdrew a clean glass.

Slowly pouring it out, he savoured the smell and look of wine. Red wine, red as the blood of his enemies, both foreign and domestic, that had been vanquished and rendered impotent.

Triumphantly, he drank his first sips. Much as he now drank his first sips of true power, unencumbered by old alliances or scheming Party faction bosses. Now he could stamp his authority on the Party and country, much as his predecessors had done.

Tonight was only the beginning.