Titus ordered the vehicles and cargo to be impounded. The drugs would be turned over to the AZDEA and the salvageable vehicles would become part of the ASGuard TO&E. When someone mentioned that the Mexican Army wouldn't want to lose their vehicles, Titus responded, "Then they should have kept them on their side of the border." He then turned the completion of the mission over to one of the newly arrived ASGuard officers and limped back to his helicopter. The general told Major Brooks to head back to ASGuard HQ to have the damaged Chinook inspected and repaired. Titus turned and walked over to one of the other CH-47s.
Teresa recommended that they return to headquarters to have the CMO check the wound to the general's leg, but Titus wouldn't hear of it. "We came out here for a looksee at the border situation. Let's finish our tour before we head back to the barn."
Accompanied by the three Black Hawks from the second flight, the two remaining Chinooks lifted off and headed northwest once more. Well, what started off as a long day is gonna get even longer, Marcus thought as he returned to scanning the border as it passed below.
Chapter 6
Major Marcus Roman and Lieutenant Teresa Cortez entered the general's office on mid-morning on Friday. After saluting and reporting to their commanding officer, they gave him the bad news.
"Sir, the medics have thoroughly examined the illegals from the group we intercepted the other day. Two of them tested positive for a rather nasty strain of TB, many had scabies, and a few had chicken pox. Our people are up to date on all of their regular shots so that should take care of the chicken pox. No one has reported scabies...yet. And everyone is being given a prophylactic dose of a broad spectrum antibiotic just in case for the TB. If you'll roll up your sleeve, LT Cortez will give you your dose, sir!" Marcus said with a smile.
Titus glared at his son while rolling up the left sleeve of his uniform jacket. Few people knew that Major General Titus Augustus Roman had an aversion to needles. He had never passed out or ran from them, he just didn't like them.
Teresa stepped forward, wiped his arm with an alcohol pad, then pressed something against his skin. He heard a hiss and felt...something...unlike the prick of a needle. He turned to look at Teresa as she held up a new medical hyposprayer. "We just got these in with the last set of medical supplies, general. Much easier to use...both for the medic and the patient."
As Titus rolled his sleeve back down, Marcus continued with his report. "Sir, the exams also turned up something else. A large percentage of the boys and young men and even some of the young women are sporting tattoos from some roughest gangs from south of the border. Two of the men are not Hispanic...they're Iranian!"
Titus closed his eyes and shook his head. "Great! Well, we heard this was happening...at least some Intelligence and news agencies have been reporting on this! Alright, get me a complete report on all findings ASAP! Hey...before you go, don't forget your Mother will be here soon! Keep an eye out for her."
Marion Roman arrived at ASGuard Headquarters early that Friday afternoon. She knew her husband and their son all too well. Knowing how dedicated they were to getting the Arizona State Guard prepared and securing the border, Marion fully expected them to be at their desks or on the drill field.
The general's aide, Captain Bennett Garry, guided her to the general's office where she found Titus sitting behind his desk reviewing reports and signing requisitions. Seeing his wife walk in, Titus rose stiffly from his chair, stretched, and then walked around his desk to greet her. As he limped (slightly!) toward her, Marion crossed her arms and tilted her head to give him the look...the same one she'd given him on other occasions when he came home wounded.
"It's okay, honey," he told her. "It's just a scratch. Teresa had the wound cleaned and bandaged before it could get infected. The doc says it'll be stiff and sore for a few days, then I'll be back to normal." Marion could never stay angry at her husband, so she stepped into his arms and kissed his lips.
It took two hours for Major General Titus Roman to wrap up his reports and brief his deputy. While Titus finished his work, Marcus gave his mother a tour of the headquarters facilities. Along the way, they picked up Teresa and their baggage for the weekend then meandered back to Titus' office. Marion finally resorted to standing in the office doorway with her arms crossed to get her husband to step away from his desk and join his family.
A half hour later, the two couples were checked into one of Phoenix's nicest hotels. They went to their suites, unpacked, freshened up, and changed into civilian clothes. As they rode the elevator down to the lobby, Marion gave Titus, Marcus, and Teresa a sideways glance when she saw them wearing their ASGuard cellphones. Sadly, such things were now a major part of their lives and would be for some time to come.
At the restaurant, the maître de promptly escorted the Romans and Teresa to their table. Their waiter quickly brought out menus and a bottle of wine then faded into the background to allow them to make their selections. They briefly discussed their selections and when they had made their choices, their waiter reappeared. With their orders in hand, the waiter stepped away.
Marion took a sip of her wine then asked, "So how soon do you two plan to get married?"
Marcus nodded to Teresa and she replied for them, "Well, we thought in a couple of weeks...on a Saturday...at the ranch. We figure with everything going on, we thought we'd just go ahead and get it done and do a honeymoon later. I've spoken to the Chaplain at Fort Huachuca and she's willing to perform the service anytime. We got our blood tests while we were there and arranged the marriage license."
Marion and Titus smiled and nodded. They had done much the same when they were younger. It had been years before they'd had time to take a honeymoon.
"My only concern," said Teresa, "is the trip is a long one for my grandparents to make on their own."
Marion took Teresa's hands in her own. "Sweetie, that's not a problem. We could have Hank drive up in our Suburban on that Thursday, pick your grandparents up the next morning, and give them safe, quiet ride to the ranch. We've enough spare rooms at the main house for them to stay there with us. That way your grandmother and I can help you get prepared Saturday morning!"
Teresa's smile told the Romans that they had the beginnings of a good plan. They continued planning the wedding throughout their dinner.
**********
The following morning, after a shared breakfast in the hotel restaurant, Marion and Teresa headed out to shop for a wedding dress. Titus and Marcus decided to use some of their free time to take a swim and were soon plying their way back and forth across the hotel pool.
After a few laps, they took a break. Titus rested with his back to the wall of the pool and stretched his right leg forward, back, forward, and back. The moisture on his face was a combination of pool water and sweat. The leg was still tender but getting better every day.
Marcus swam to the wall and stood up. Turning, he saw an old friend standing by the edge of the pool. "Colonel Halsted! Good to see you, sir! Uh...give me a moment here to get out of this pool. Hey, Dad! Look who's here!"
As he walked up to Halsted, he saluted even though neither of them was in uniform. Military courtesies were hard to unlearn. Halsted returned the salute, then reached out to shake hands with Marcus. "Good to see you, Marcus! How are you doing, son?" Titus walked up a moment later and Halsted shook his hand as well. Marcus noticed a strange look passed between the two older men for a moment.
"Well, sir!" Marcus replied. "The headaches and vision cleared up about as fast as the talk of a court-martial. Got home okay and volunteered to help the Old Man here with a little border problem we're having. Oh, and Teresa Cortez and I are engaged." Halsted guided Marcus and Titus over to a remote patio table and signaled the poolside waiter to come take their drink orders. The men quickly settled on a large pitcher of sweet tea. Their waiter was prompt and efficient in bringing their drinks and glasses, then left them in peace.
The three men carried on the usual conversation of three old friends reunit
ing after many years. Once the waiter stepped away, Halsted casually withdrew what looked like a cellphone from his pocket, tapped a couple of spots on the illuminated screen, then set the device down in the middle of the table where it gave off a very quiet hum. "There! That should give us some privacy," he said. His voice sounded slightly different; as if his vocal cords were vibrating slightly out of phase. Seeing Marcus' look of interest, Halsted said, "One of the gadgets the lab boys and girls have cooked up. It sets up a subsonic field out to a radius of about five feet. No one can hear us or pick us up on a parabolic microphone."
Titus leaned forward slightly and asked, "So what's up, Ken?"
"I was asked by some mutual friends to pass along some intel to you from the 'Good Ol' Boys and Girls network. Fortunately, we've known each other a long time and I had some business here in Phoenix so it won't look funny for me to meet with you. You two need to seriously watch your backsides!" Halsted replied.
What Halsted spoke of was the fraternity of senior officers from the various services who had been friends and comrades-in-arms for many years. This group included active duty personnel and retirees of all ages; in and out of the halls of the military and government. One thing bonded the group: their Oaths to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
"Your governor is really pissing off Quill and his hand-picked successor, Sherrill Carrington. They're about to nationalize your National Guard units to pull them away from the border. And he's about to take actions that our best intel tells us will increase the invasion. His time in office is almost up and his uber-liberal bitch is doing everything she can to ensure the vote this Fall goes her way. Then it will be more of their policies and programs. They're also building some kind of federal police or enforcers unit on the sly. They've purged what military officers they can...but we've caught on to what they were doing and have taken steps to block much of that...without their knowledge, of course."
Titus and Marcus nodded...it was what they thought would happen. Marcus asked the next question. "So what's supposed to happen along the border?"
Halsted chuckled then answered, "Well...what is supposed to happen is the borders states will fall in line with Quill or Carrington, kiss their asses, and beg to be forgiven. Of course, Quill or Carrington will probably try to flood those states with even more illegal aliens to permanently destabilize your economies and your demographics. What will happen is really the question! The governor of California, die-hard socialist that she is, is already sucking up to Quill and his gang. The citizens and governments of Arizona and Texas will resist Quill and Carrington tooth and nail; even if it means another civil war. New Mexico's people will side with the Arizonans and Texans, even if they have to run their current batch of politicians out of town on a rail."
Titus looked into Halsted's eyes. "Are the threat assessments that dire?"
Halsted took a deep breath before nodding and replying. "A growing number of citizens of the United States have had enough of the Liberal/Progressive Marxist Socialists and their drain on this country. The military analysts have run this through their computers ad nauseum. Civil war is coming. But, given what's happening in the rest of the world, the military commanders have decided to sit this one out. They'll keep an eye on the external threats...keep them from taking advantage of any fighting going on in the States...and that will be critical in the first 100 days. DoD will only accept orders from those who actively support the Constitution."
The three men grew quiet for several minutes. Marcus broke the silence by asking, "Will you be okay?"
"Marcus, I'm with Spook Central now!" Halsted said with a grin. "As far as the powers in the hallowed halls of D.C. know, we're on their side. We've found, eliminated, or co-opted their plants within the Agency. I'll be in touch from time to time. I may get sent out here ostensibly on Agency business to keep you country boys in line in dealing with our friends from the south who are moving north! Just remember, you aren't leaving your country...your government abandoned you and the rest of us when they put one party above our Constitution and the Rule of Law." Halsted reached out and tapped his "cellphone" and the hum stopped. The Romans knew they had to be careful in what they said from this point forward.
"Ken, we appreciate you dropping by to see us," said Titus. "Look, why don't you stay and have dinner with us tonight. Marion would love to see you!"
Marcus added, "And so would Teresa!"
"That sounds great," said Halsted!
Titus called Marion on her cellphone to let her know their old friend was in town and that Titus had invited him to dine with the family. Marion assured him that she and Teresa would be home in a few hours and signed off. Marcus called the restaurant and asked to have one more person added to their reservation.
The evening turned into a pleasant time spent together by old friends, an evening of conversation, fine dining, more conversation, and dancing. It would be a long time before the old friends would meet this way again.
**********
The next two weeks leading up to Marcus' and Teresa's wedding passed quickly. While Titus, Marcus, and Teresa worked to get the ASGuard prepared to deploy, Marion and the ranch hands were busy preparing the ranch for the wedding ceremony.
A week before the wedding, the general's intelligence chief reported an uptick in signal intelligence between parties south of the border and those in Arizona. "General, all evidence points to an attack...possibly an attack on your ranch during the wedding. I'd recommend moving the wedding to another location, further in-state, if possible."
Titus called in Marcus and Teresa and had the intelligence chief brief them. Once briefed, Titus asked them if they would like to cancel or change their wedding plans. Before they could answer, Titus stopped them with a raised hand. A smile played across his face and he said, "Or...we could take a risk and turn this into an opportunity for the ASGuard!" Soon, everyone in the room was smiling as Titus explained his plan.
**********
The wedding itself went off without a hitch. As Marcus and his best man, Aaron Templeton, stood near the chaplain, Teresa's grandfather walked her down the aisle and smiled at Marcus as he placed her hand in the hand of her future husband. The chaplain began the by ceremony welcoming everyone to the blessed event. Marcus and Teresa exchanged vows and rings, the chaplain proclaimed them man and wife, and the young couple kissed to the applause and cheers of their guests.
A reception immediately followed the ceremony. Food and drink tables were set up around the edges of the large pool/patio of the Roman Ranch house. The ranch hands even brought out a number of musical instruments to join the local band. The newlyweds danced the first dance, then stepped aside to let others take the floor.
Suddenly, a series of shots rang out and the sound of bullets buzzing through the air sent the Romans and their guests diving for cover. An explosion rattled the air as a grenade exploded nearby. Another exploded a moment later.
The Romans dove behind a large brick planter. Once concealed from the attackers, Marcus opened two wooden doors and began pulling out a variety of weapons and battle harnesses. Teresa had some difficulty getting her harness on over her wedding dress so she decided to forego the harness altogether.
The ranch hands assisted the non-combatant guests to safe locations around the patio before joining the ASGuard guests in picking up weapons and defending the ranch house. Marcus was not the least bit surprised to see former-Sergeant Ernesto Cortez with an M-1 Garand in his hands.
A heavily-accented voice called out from the south beyond the ranch house, "Hey, Romans! We've got you outnumbered and outgunned. We're gonna come in there and kill you and your friends. And we'll have a fine time with your women before we killed them, too!"
Titus signaled Marcus and Templeton to shift to a set of out-buildings east of the ranch house. He then signaled two other ASGuard troopers to move to the west. He cleared his throat before yelling out, "Is that what you really came here for?"
The voice resp
onded, "Oh, we're gonna ransack your place for any cash and valuables before we burn it down."
"Is that all?" Titus hollered back. "In other words, you're just another worthless, piece of shit. Well, others have tried to kill me and mine. We're still here. Bring it on, shithead!" Marion, hunkered on the ground next to her husband rolled her eyes and slugged him in the arm. Titus had to smile back at his wife, who was holding a Marlin 30-30 lever action hunting rifle in her arms. Marion had bagged a deer with that rifle each year they went out hunting!
Two double clicks sounded in the earpiece in Titus' right ear. It was a signal from Marcus and the others that they were in position. Time to go to work, Titus thought. "Hey, shithead! Put down your weapons and surrender and we'll let you live. Make another move and we'll waste you where you are!"
Out in the brush beyond the house, the leader of the insurgent band growled. He didn't like being challenged, particularly in front of the rest of his gang. He fought for control...and lost. Rising up, he yelled, "Attack!"
Weapons fire opened up from both sides of his group of thugs. His compadres began to fall in ones and twos. Part of his group made it nearly to the patio, firing their weapons as they approached the hidden wedding guests. One of their bullets passed through the bustle of Teresa's wedding dress as she dove back into cover after rising up to fire her weapon.
"Damn that burns!" she cursed as a red stain began to spread across the white material of her gown. "Dammit, one of those bastards have put bullet holes in my wedding dress! And that blood'll stain!" She stretched to one side of the planted to get an angle on the attackers and cut loose with her weapon. Three of the attackers went down!
Marion pulled Teresa back behind the planter and ripped open the dress to expose Teresa's wound...a small bullet crease across one cheek of her buttocks, just enough to draw blood. Titus pulled the small first aid kit from his harness and passed it to his wife. Marion sprayed the injury with some antibiotic and pressed a compress and sticky bandage over the site. "Keep your butt down, Teresa!" Marion said as she rose up slightly, took careful aim, and fire her rifle before ducking for cover again.
The Arizona State Guard Trilogy Page 7
