Embers of Empire

by Mark Goodwin

  “Sam said he can take over if you two want to get some sleep after breakfast.”

  “Thank you. In that case, I better skip the coffee.” Ava took the plate as Betty passed it to her.

  “I figured you might want to take him up on the offer. I took the liberty of making you decaf.”

  “You thought of everything, Mrs. Hodge.” Foley took the thermos.

  “It’s the least I can do. I’m afraid I’m not cut out for the rough-and-tumble stuff. So, I’ll try to make myself useful in the garden and in the kitchen.”

  “How are you holding up this morning?” Ava asked.

  “Better.” She nodded decisively. “Sam keeps a close eye on potential threats.” Betty looked at Ava. “You know how he is; always keeping up with what might happen in the markets, cyber threats, that sort of thing. So, we’re fairly well prepared, at least from a provisions standpoint. But, you know, it’s always been one close call or another. First, it was Y2K, then it was solar storms, then it was a currency collapse; seems we’re always getting ready for something. He’s been watching this social unrest thing for a while, too. I’ve always gone along with whatever he recommends—even took charge of the gardening and canning.”

  Betty looked out the window as warm hues of orange daylight slowly crept in. “Since Sam took care of everything, I always figured that if anything ever happened, we’d be just fine. I never even got worried when Austin started having trouble. Then, yesterday, when I heard the gunshots, and when I walked in the house and saw all that blood; in my house, where I thought I was so safe. I don’t know; I guess it just turned my world upside down.

  “Sam would always talk about other people who weren’t getting prepared because of what he called normalcy bias. He says they don’t think anything bad can happen to them because nothing bad has ever happened to them before. I never thought I could fall victim to that. After all, we were getting ready for every threat imaginable. Moving to the country, storing food, raising chickens, growing a garden, fruit trees.”

  She shook her head. “But I suppose I had my own version of normalcy bias. Because I never thought I’d see something like that in my own living room. I’m sorry I melted down like that. I think I’ll be more mentally prepared for it if it happens again.”

  Ava took Betty’s hand and pulled it to her chest. “It’s good to be ready for it; mentally, physically, and spiritually, but we’ll pray it doesn’t happen again.”

  Betty nodded. “Thank you. I’m sure glad you all were here. Things would have turned out very differently if it had only been me and Sam.”

  CHAPTER 6

  Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord.

  Proverbs 18:22

  Three weeks passed after the election. President Ross augmented the National Guard with troops from the regular army to restore order in the largest cities across America. No other attacks came against Sam Hodge’s property, but like most major metropolitan areas, Austin remained dangerous and barely livable.

  Ava walked into the living room to find Charity sitting on the couch Wednesday morning. “The electricity is back on! That’s great! Is the news saying what caused the outage?”

  “They say the government shut down the grid and the internet to stifle anti-Ross protestors. But that doesn’t make any sense. Ross wouldn’t do that. I think the opposition did it so they could blame it on Ross.”

  Ava took a seat beside her.

  Charity looked at her foot. “How’s the ankle?”

  “Feels great.” Ava moved her foot in a circular motion.

  Charity pressed her lips together. “You should at least keep it wrapped up.”

  “Yeah, I’ll put an Ace bandage on it after breakfast. I didn’t hear you come to bed last night. Did you stay up to keep watch with James?”

  Charity held her hand over her face and wouldn’t look Ava in the eye. “Something like that.”

  “Oh.” Ava dropped the subject.

  “Anyway, we’re going to drive down to Buda today. Things seem to be fairly calm with the military enforcing curfew and all.”

  “The military is only in Austin. You’ll be driving through forty miles of backroads to get to Buda. What are you going down there for?”

  “We just need Pastor Greg to perform a quick ceremony for us. We’ll get it all formalized at the courthouse after things get back to normal. But it’s obvious we’re not going to get to have the wedding we were hoping for in December. Plus, now that we’re living under the same roof, we need to go ahead and make our vows before God.”

  “I see.” Ava listened to the news for a while then asked, “Do you even know that Pastor Greg will be there? With the curfew, I doubt he’s been holding Wednesday night service.”

  “We have to try.” Charity looked at Ava with desperate eyes. “We need to get married as soon as possible.”

  “Are you pregnant?”

  “No!” Charity looked offended.

  “Sorry.”

  Charity lost her indignant tone. “At least if I am, it would be way too early to know.”

  “Ooooh.” The puzzle pieces fell neatly into place within Ava’s mind. She was quiet for another moment. “Why don’t you let Foley perform the service? We could have the wedding right here!”

  “Foley?”

  “Sure, he led the Bible study at Faith House for several months. He took over Pastor Jon’s position after he was promoted at Faith Chapel. Why not?”

  Charity grunted and put her head in her hand. “I don’t want everyone knowing my business. I feel so ashamed.”

  Ava put her arm around her friend. “The only person you owe an apology to is God. Tell him you’re sorry, make things right, and move on. Don’t worry about what the people in this house think. Do you think if the two of you run off for the day, then come back and start sleeping in the same room, people here aren’t going to know what’s going on?”

  Charity looked up. “You’re right. Do you think we can put it together today?”

  “Plan a wedding? In one day? Charity, the damage is already done. If we have it today or next week, what’s the difference?”

  Charity sighed. “Then there’s tonight, and tomorrow night, and the night after. It’s one thing to abstain, and it’s quite another to stop something you’ve started.”

  Ava huffed. “I wouldn’t know.”

  “Yeah, well, keep it that way. Trust me, you need to cut out those overnight watch shifts with Foley while you still can. Or better yet, make it a double wedding!”

  Ava shook her head. “I like him, but I’m not ready for all of that.”

  “Then put the kibosh on those watch shifts together.”

  “We just take turns keeping watch. We don’t even kiss when we’re on duty.”

  “That’s how it starts. But do you think you can keep it like that if we’re still in this situation three months from now?”

  “The new election is next Tuesday. We’ll know something then and be able to put together a plan for the future.”

  “Ava, I’m just saying. You know how much James and I wanted to honor God. If you don’t put the proper barriers up, you’re failing to plan and planning to fail.”

  She considered her friend's advice. It was true. Charity and James were the most dedicated Christians she knew. If they couldn’t make it, then perhaps she was being a little naive to think she and Foley were above being tempted into sin. “I’ll talk to Betty about having a small wedding and reception.”

  “Try to convince her that it needs to be today. Nothing special. Don’t go out of your way and don’t let Betty make a fuss over it.”

  “I’ll do what I can.” Ava gave her friend a hug.

  “Without giving her all the sordid details.” Charity looked at Ava with puppy dog eyes.

  “Our secret.” Ava smiled.

  That afternoon, Foley wore his best polo shirt and his nicest cargo pants as he stood by t
he river with his Bible in hand. Like most everyone else, he had not brought any dress clothes to the Hodges’ property. Still, he looked dashing to Ava as she followed her friend between the chairs. Sam and Betty Hodge sat on one side, with Ulysses and Buckley on the other. Ulysses kept his battle rifle low and mostly out of sight, as if he were making a diligent effort not ruin the atmosphere, but everyone knew if they were to get any Antifa wedding crashers, the weapon would be a welcomed object.

  James stood next to Foley. Sam had offered him a jacket, but it was much too wide and much too short for James. Nevertheless, the groom appeared quite presentable in a pair of dark jeans and a button-down white shirt.

  Charity had the foresight to bring a dress with her when they came out to Sam’s place. Being very late in the fall, the dress was navy blue rather than white. Ava figured that most likely spared her friend some level of self-imposed guilt and internal conflict. Perhaps it was for the best.

  Flower selections were sparse, but Ava was able to locate a few wild plants with some color from around the property. They were long green stems with fluffy purple rods at the top. Betty had referred to them as Violet Blazing Stars, but Ava wasn’t sure. A navy-blue ribbon which Betty had scrounged up was tied ornamentally around the stems of the flowers.

  Charity looked pretty. James looked happy. Ava knew the two were deeply in love and would make a wonderful couple, committed to each other, and even though they’d slipped up, they were committed to honoring God.

  Once Charity and Ava arrived at the river’s edge, Foley opened his Bible. “And He answered and said unto them, ‘Have ye not read, that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female.’ And said, ‘For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.’”

  Charity and James each read their own vows which they’d written to each other. Then Foley prayed for God to bless and protect their marriage. Afterward, he looked up. “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

  James kissed Charity passionately while the others clapped.

  Betty announced. “I’ve put together some refreshments on the back deck. I’d have done more if I had known, but it seems time was of the essence for this particular ceremony.” She paused, putting her finger to her lip. “Oh dear! In all the hurry I’ve forgotten to ice the cake!”

  CHAPTER 7

  Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

  Acts 5:29

  Wednesday evening after the wedding, Ava sat on the loveseat with Foley watching the news. Sam and Betty sat on the couch. Ulysses was in the room above the garage keeping watch. James and Charity were . . . nowhere to be found. Breaking News scrolled across the bottom of the screen.

  “It should say Propaganda Alert. I wonder what load of bovine excrement they’re about to hand us now?” Ava crossed her arms tightly in anticipation of the media network’s heavily tilted view of the news.

  The female anchor wore next to no makeup and a high-and-tight haircut, which lent her the impression of a drill sergeant. She spoke with a low voice, which also would not have been out of place for someone instructing a military boot camp.

  “The House and Senate have ended a closed-door session on Capitol Hill. The rare joint session was convened in secrecy early today and the details of the meeting are coming to you in real time as they are released to us.

  “The clandestine assembly appears to have been a streamlined impeachment process to remove President Ross who has been taken into custody by the US Marshals Service for obstruction of justice, abuse of power, usurping the Constitution, and inciting a riot. Congress has determined that Ross’ actions to overturn the election results in Florida and Texas not only violated the sacred trust of the American people, but also led to the wide-spread riots which destroyed parts of DC, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, LA, and so many other cities around the nation.

  “The unprecedented speed at which these hearings were conducted and completed represented an effort to circumvent next week’s election do-over in Texas and Florida.”

  “They’ve just shot themselves in the foot!” Ava motioned to the television screen with her open hand. “Blackwell will take office, and he’ll cause the liberals ten times the trouble Ross would have. I’ve got to go tell my dad!”

  Foley held her arm to restrain her from getting up. “Wait for it.”

  The reporter continued. “Congress has appointed Speaker of the House Steve Woods to serve as the interim POTUS until next month’s inauguration. The special impeachment committee made up of top leadership from both houses determined that Michael Ross’ VP selection naming Idaho Governor Turner Blackwell as successor to the oval office is not binding due to the felonious actions against the state. No criminal action is being taken against the Idaho governor at this time.”

  “Unbelievable!” Ava stood up and headed for the door.

  “Take it easy on those stairs,” Sam warned. “Put your weight on the handrails. If you get overly rambunctious, you’ll be back on those crutches for another two weeks.”

  “And bring your rifle,” Foley added. “We can’t get in the habit of breaking protocol.”

  Ava stopped in her tracks, turned to go back to her room, retrieved her AR-15, then rushed off to tell her father the troublesome news. She considered Sam’s caveat but sprinted up the stairs regardless.

  “Is everything okay?” Ulysses stood at the top of the stairs.

  “Yes and no.” She placed her rifle by the door, flopped down on the bed and proceeded to relay the information from the news broadcast.

  “Well, that’s not good.” Ulysses turned back toward the window. “I’m sure they’ll fast-track Markovich’s gun ban . . . for the good of the country.”

  “What do we do?” Ava folded her hands.

  “Can you keep an eye out for raiders? I’m going to grab my laptop from the trailer.”

  “Sure.”

  “Use my gun. It’s got a better sight.” Ulysses handed Ava his rifle and took hers as he hurried down the stairs.

  Ava watched the driveway through her father’s night vision sight. She could see every detail, just as if she were looking out the window in broad daylight. “Whoa! This is way better than Foley’s night vision sight. I guess these things are not all created equal.”

  Minutes later, Ulysses returned and opened his laptop.

  “What are you looking for?” she asked.

  “I’m checking the conservative underground threads.”

  “Oh, so our team is on the dark web, too?”

  “Sort of. When Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook started deleting accounts and shadow banning right-leaning users, many of them went straight underground. Everyone knew it was only a matter of time until the political pendulum swung back to the far left. If Markovich doesn’t completely take down the internet, I’m sure a lot of patriots will start finding out about the conservative darknet.”

  Ulysses typed in a URL into the address bar. “I found a couple message boards that conservatives in the military are using. Some speculation had already started that Markovich might try something like this. These guys aren’t planning to fall in line.”

  “Markovich didn’t do it. It was Congress.”

  “Markovich is pulling the strings. Woods is just a puppet. So is Congress, for that matter.” Ulysses pecked away at the keyboard.

  Ava moved her eyes back and forth from watching the scope to looking at what her father was doing. “Are you finding anything out?”

  “Yep. It seems Blackwell and Ross’ Cabinet got wind of what was going on. The remaining members of the Liberty Caucus sent encrypted text messages via Wire to let them know what was happening.”

  “And?”

  Ulysses kept reading. “It looks like Secretary of Defense Albert Doming
o started moving US military troops and assets to conservative states who are planning to secede.”

  “Wow! There really is going to be a civil war!” Ava looked up from the scope. “But why is the head of the DOD sending troops and equipment to the seceding states? They’ll be prepositioned to take down the resistance.”

  Ulysses shook his head. “He’s giving the equipment to the states.”

  “How can he do that?”

  “The 1033 Program. It’s been on the books for years. DOD is fully in charge of it.”

  “I thought that was only for surplus equipment.”

  “Yep. And Secretary of Defense Domingo decides what qualifies as surplus material.”

  “Woods and Markovich will just reverse the order.”

  Ulysses nodded. “I’m sure they will, but much of the equipment will already be relocated by the time they find out what’s happened. And by then, it will be an act of war for the US military to set foot on the sovereign soil of the independent states.”

  “What about the troops? How do the governors of the conservative states know they’ll side with them?”

  “They don’t. But being in the state, under the orders of the secretary of defense, to follow the command of those governors will help nudge the troops in the right direction.”

  “Don’t you think most of the military will side with Ross and Blackwell in this thing? They’ve taken an oath to the Constitution. Markovich is obviously running roughshod over it with his gun ban. I’m sure they’ll stand up for the Second Amendment.”

  Ulysses looked at her. “You mean like the cops who stood up for the Second Amendment when Ray Nagin ordered all the guns to be confiscated in New Orleans in the wake of Katrina?”

  Ava looked up from the rifle again. She thought for a while. “I guess I don’t remember those cops.”

  “Yeah, because they didn’t exist. You’ve heard of the Milgram experiment, right?”