The Second Civil War- The Complete History

by Adam Yoshida

  The High Commissioner sat quietly and watched the latest reports from MSNBC stream across the television screen in front of him.

  “…the British government has yet to confirm any of this,” stated the reporter who was standing in front of a rainy No. 10 Downing Street, “but, from where we are standing it must be said that it does appear to be absolutely authentic. The U.S. Government in Colorado held a press conference this morning, in Florida, where it presented to the world Wing Commander David Hennessy of the Royal Air Force, who stated that he was, until twenty-four hours ago, stationed on the Falkland Islands. What the Secretary of Defense stated in that press conference was that there was a confrontation between elements of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet and British forces somewhere near the Falkland Islands. Apparently the the Democratic Union forces there had been strengthened in recent weeks and they launched air attacks against the U.S. forces. The U.S. Department of Defense was somewhat reticent about explaining what happened from there, except to say that there were only a handful of U.S. and British casualties and that, ultimately, the islands are now in the hands of the U.S. government in Colorado.”

  “How do we not have anything on this?” raged the High Commissioner as he temporarily muted the television set.

  “We’re trying to get through to London now,” said Minister Ransom quietly as the High Commissioner turned the volume on the TV set back up.

  “…our sources in the British Ministry of Defense to confirm that they have lost contact with their forces in that region and that there was an RAF officer of the name of David Hennessy who was recently relocated to that post, but they were unable to confirm any of the other details of the story as laid out by the U.S. government in Colorado today. However, I should add that there have been a number of posting on social networks over the last few hours coming out of the United Kingdom, where people who are acquainted personally with this officer do apparently confirm that he is the officer pictured in this particular video. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the statement that he has given is accurate or even, for that matter, was given voluntarily.”

  “Any luck?” asked the High Commissioner, turning towards his aides.

  “No response from anyone who can say thing yet, sir. Apparently the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary, and the Minister of Defense are all in meetings with instructions that they are not to be disturbed and everyone who is left around is standing firm and insisting that they aren’t authorized to speak.”

  “Ok, said the reporter on the air, pressing his earpiece with his hand,” we are getting some word that a statement is going to be released shortly… No, wait. The word is that the Prime Minister will be speaking in the next few moments.”

  As the reporter turned around, the front door of No. 10 Downing Street flew open and Prime Minister Henry Blunt walked out onto the street, doing up the top button of his jacket and steadying himself as he prepared to speak to the assembled reporters.

  “I can confirm the reports that have been carried in the media and on social media today, that there has been a invasion of sovereign British territory by forces that claim to represent the government of the United States. We have lost contact with our forces in the Falkland Islands, but our last communication with them indicated that they were under attack. We have no reason to believe, given the nature of our last communications with them, that their ability to resist will be prolonged or significant. With that I will take any questions that you might have.”

  “Prime Minister!” shouted one reporter, “can you confirm the reports that the garrison on the Falklands mutinied and then placed themselves in the hands of the local American commanders?”

  “We cannot confirm those reports, nor can we confirm the authenticity of the statement issued today in Miami by Wing Commander David Hennessy. He is indeed an officer of the Royal Air Force - one with a very fine service record. Indeed, we are taking quite seriously the reports that the statement that he gave today is not a voluntary one. It is worth recalling that those men who now control the government of the United States were the same men who were willing to remake torture in the course of the so-called war on terrorism. It would not surprise me if they had chosen to embrace those same methods here. We call upon the government of the United States to immediately and unconditionally withdraw from the sovereign British territory that it has invaded and to begin the immediate repatriation of any British nationals that they now hold.”

  “Will the war be continued?” asked another reporter.

  “The policy of this government and our European and American partners is that we will uphold the rights of the people of the Federation of North American States to self-determination, even in the face of a violent assault by the reactionary right-wing regime that now controls the United States. This is not changed. Indeed, the international lawlessness demonstrated by the government of the United States today is a reason why we ought to intensify our efforts, not a reason for us to either draw back or surrender.”

  “With that,” continued the Prime Minister, “I must return to work.”

  Moments after the Prime Minister stepped back through the door, the High Commissioner’s phone rang.

  “I have Prime Minister Blunt on the line for you,” said the voice on the other end.

  “Put him through,” said the High Commissioner, leaning back in his seat.

  “Mr. High Commissioner,” said the Prime Minister.

  “Was any of that true?” asked the High Commissioner.

  “Well,” said the Prime Minister, “they certainly did take the Falklands. That was a surprise. And it’s also true that we haven’t yet heard from any channels that we trust that the forces there mutinied… Although, I would add that, upon the balance of probabilities, that does appear to be the case. Though, as I pointed out, given the history of the United States government with regard to the use of torture, we cannot assume that any statement of that nature was freely given and uncoerced.”

  “Fair enough,” said the High Commissioner, “but I should add that if we cannot trust your own forces… Doesn’t that give you pause with regard to events here?”

  “Some,” admitted the Prime Minister, “but we are too deep into it now. Even if I were to admit that this entire policy with a folly and to perform a u-turn, then not only myself, but my party, would be tossed out of office in anything even remotely resembling an election - and that’s with a notable portion of the opposition in jail. I can’t imagine what it would be like otherwise. I am afraid that, at this point, we must either win everything or lose everything. I see no middle ground.”

  “We have placed a lot of reliance upon you here,” said the High Commissioner with a neutral tone.

  “I am aware of that and grateful for it. So is the French President. So is the German Chancellor. And, let us face it - when this is concluded those voices, along with yours, are the only ones that will matter in either Europe or Eastern North America.”

  “Well then,” said the High Commissioner, “where does that leave us to go next?”

  “I’ve just finished speaking with our military commanders and we think that we have a plan that will really knock them on their heels,” answered the Prime Minister.

  Phoenix, Arizona

  Oscar Hogan had travelled openly. Though the polls showed Mitchell Randall trailing the Terrance Rickover by around ten points in Arizona, the Washington Senator had maintained that he was going to fight for the votes of every state and anyways, in as unstable a political environment as existed across the United States at the present time, ten points was hardly all that much of a deficit anyways so the presence of the Randall campaign’s leader would hopefully not raise anyone’s suspicions.

  What he had in his briefcase, however, and who he was going to meet with was absolutely secret.

  It was a little after 11AM when Governor Robert Schmidt, wearing both a Stetson and a bolo tie, rolled into the hotel suite.

  Jesus Christ, thought the Harvard and
Oxford-educated operative as he examined the ex-Sheriff, imagine that man in a position of real national power.

  The Governor dropped onto the couch.

  “Well, Oscar,” he said, “you’ve said at least enough to get me to come out here. But you’re going to have to spin a really fancy tale in order to convince me why I ought to abandon a good conservative President who is in the middle of fighting a war in order to get onboard with a RINO like your friend the Senator.”

  “The Senator,” said Oscar, “was consistently one of the most conservative members of the Washington State Senate.”

  “That’d kind of like being the most Protestant member of the College of Cardinals, buddy. Doesn’t impress me a bit.”

  “Ok then,” said Hogan, “let’s talk about something that is impressive. Your record.”

  “Alright, tell me about my own record,” said the Governor.

  “You’re a backwoods Sheriff who went to a fourth-tier law school,” began Hogan.

  “Hey now,” said the Governor, “I didn’t have to come out of my fucking way to be insulted, least of all by tweed-wearing bastard like yourself.”

  “No, let me keep going,” said Hogan. The Governor responded with a nod.

  “What I”m saying here, Governor, is that you can connect with people. And that’s a gift. You’ve gained positions that most people from your background would never dream of. You’re one of the most famous men in America.”

  “You’re Goddamned right I am” said Schmidt, “so why the heck would I need Mitchell Randall? What do I need from him?”

  “Respectability, Governor. Do you remember Sarah Palin? She wasn’t even a quarter as impressive as you were and, with a little bit of help, she damned near became the Vice President of the United States. If she’d had everything that you have, she’d have probably become President - or at least been a serious contender for the job.”

  “Terrance Rickover will let you campaign for him. He’ll joke with you and shake your hand - but he’s never going to offer you a golden ticket.”

  “And that’s what you’re saying that your guy has to offer?” said Schmidt.

  “That’s exactly what my guy has to offer, Governor. He wants to make you Vice President of the United States.”

  “Ha,” said Schmidt, “how would that even work? I’d might as well run for President with Al Gore as my running mate, in terms of ideological compatibility.”

  Hogan grabbed his briefcase and snapped it open. He began to take out carefully stapled-together pieces of paper and handed them to the Governor.

  “That’s not really true, Governor,” he said, “I think that you’ll find that you and the Senator are actually pretty ideologically compatible. My research staff found that you agree on 85% of the issues that the American Conservative Union tested on in the last survey that they did before the war.”

  It had taken a little fudging to come up with those numbers, Hogan knew, but he hoped that the Governor wouldn’t scrutinize them too closely.

  “But,” continued Hogan as he grabbed some more documents, “I think that you’ll find these more interesting.”

  Schmidt grabbed the documents and began to read them.

  “Polling numbers,” he noted as he flipped the pages.

  “Are these reliable?” he asked.

  “The Senator and I trust the pollster. This was taken in the most covert possible fashion, I should add,” said Hogan, “but the conclusion is impossible to escape: if you and the Senator run together, you can win.”

  Temporary Seat of the Government of the United States, Colorado Springs, Colorado

  “I would agree with you, Mr. President,” explained General Monroe, “that the forces that we are positioning to defeat the Democratic Union forces here in North America are overwhelming. But that doesn’t assure victory - and certainly not a quick victory. Let us suppose that the CENTCOM plan comes off and the two divisions under the command of General MacKenzie land and begin to roll up the DU positions in the Virginia-Maryland-Pennsylvania theatre of operations and also that General Jackson’s command is able to roll across the inner Canadian border and to push all the way to the ocean. That still leaves powerful forces in the centre that can resist. And we need to consider carefully the forces that we have arrayed in the Chicago region: it could be a situation like the Siege of Petersburg, where our forces - though superior in numbers - are forced to dislodge one set of defenses after another, suffering more and more intense casualties with each passing day.”

  “I am aware of the political realities, General,” replied the Acting President, “the question I have is whether or not you have enough forces arrayed across the front to open a general offensive.”

  “If the Third Army can come ashore and if we really can open up a Canadian front, then I fully believe that we have a force on hand that is capable of undertaking a successful offensive action. But I cannot guarantee the timeline or the casualty levels of such an undertaking,” said Monroe.

  “I wouldn’t ask such of you, General,” said Rickover, “but can it be done?”

  “It can be,” said the General evenly.

  “Then my orders stand: when the Third Army touches American soil, the general offensive is to begin on all fronts.”

  “Very well, Mr. President,” said General Monroe.

  “I will issue the appropriate orders, sir,” said the Secretary of Defense.

  “I do wonder,” said the Acting President, his voice low, “if we might not make something more of the divisions exposed by the actions of the British forces in the Falklands.”

  “Such as?” asked the Secretary of State.

  “Well, turnabout is fair play,” said Rickover, “and as they have divided America, perhaps we should seek to divide them. I will remind you that the policy of this government is not only to reunite the country, but also to punish those who have sought to divide and destroy it.”

  “I am in full agreement with that as a matter of policy, Mr. President,” said Secretary Preston, “but I don’t know if we can afford to be dividing our resources right now. Not with the largest offensive of the war due to begin in a week, at the most.”

  “I know that this is the hardest thing that any of you have ever done,” began the Acting President, “but we need to be thinking about the long-term. It won’t be enough to drive the European Union forces out of North America. We need to ensure not only that they never interfere here again, but that their capacity to do so is eradicated. Likewise, we need to remember that, for all that they have been helpful in this crisis, the Chinese are not our friends. In the long-run they are our enemies and will need to be confronted as well. Don’t single-track.”

  “Mr. President,” said Secretary Preston, “I can put a planning team on it. I can’t make any promises, but we’ll see what we can have done.”

  “That’s all that I’ve ever wanted,” said the Acting President, smiling and spreading his hands across the table in front of him. After a moment, Rickover sighed deeply.

  “Gentlemen,” he said, thinking of something he had once seen an actor playing Franklin Roosevelt say in a movie, “let us take a brief break. Recess was always my favorite time at school. It is getting to be that way in war as well.”

  As the Acting President stepped out of the room, his Secretary walked up to him.

  “Governor Schmidt called again,” she said.

  “Tell him I’ll call back as soon as I can. I am running a war, after all,” replied Rickover.

  Grand Central Station, Manhattan, Federation of North American States

  Roman Moore checked his watch as he walked into the lower concourse of Grand Central Station. Nearly one month after the end of the Uprising, life in New York City had returned to something that almost resembled normality. The day-to-day business of the city went on, albeit disconnected from the affairs of much of the rest of the country. For Moore and the other survivors of the abortive attempt to snatch the city out the hands of the the Loyalists and
now the Federation (or the Democratic Union, depending on how you wished to describe it) those days had been incredibly trying.

  After the last stand of the 1st Battalion, Ninth Marine Regiment at the site of the 9-11 Memorial, the survivors of the rebel attempt to take the city had quickly attempted to disperse, but had found themselves hunted through the streets of the city by the French 2e Régiment étranger de parachutistes and the elements of the NYPD that had aligned themselves with the new government. Of the Marines and insurgents who had fought the Cuban and French troops occupying New York City, barely three hundred had ended the day of the uprising both alive and not in captivity with both Roman Moore and Mack Dallas among those who remained free.

  Moore slipped into one of the free tables in the lower-level food court, deliberately taking a seat next to a urine-stained homeless man in order to ensure that other people kept as far away from him as possible. Moore had served in both Iraq and Afghanistan and had helped to dig up months-old mass graves so he had smelled worse. Barely.

  He sat at the table for a few minutes sipping his cup of coffee and checking the news on his tablet. It amazed him that the cellular networks were still mostly up-and-running. In war and peace the people still wanted their Facebook and Instagram. Although during the early days of the war some people had contemplated setting up massive systems of internet censorship, that had proven to be largely-unnecessary as people continue to generally travel in their own small ideological circles, whether online or in person. This tendency had, in fact, been enhanced by the war.

  Russia continued to play a cagey game with their friends in Western Europe, according to the New York Times. The Russians were cooperating militarily with the Democratic Union in the Atlantic while, at the same time, they continued to press inwards on the frontiers of the former EU itself. Today the Times was reporting on the efforts of Russian-backed “rebels” in Estonia, who were, by all accounts, actually soldiers of the regular Russian Army.