“Boss, I’m good with putting Pope in the grave. His bad karma is bound to catch up to him.” Sains said. “But his dad is and Under Secretary of Defense. We could be opening up one bad-assed can of worms.
Carter kept his eyes on the road. “Karma can catch up with Under Secretaries of Defense too,” he said.
Epilogue
The great metal cylinder rotated slowly within a framework lattice of beams formed from white carbon composites. The cylinder’s silver skin glinted in the sun; drinking the light and heat and converting it to electricity to power huge orbiting station. Two thousand feet long and half that in diameter; it appeared as a giant, silver and white tower looking down on the Earth. It kept those with the required financial means and social status to dwell within it far above the unpleasantness of the war raging on the planet below.
Below the shining refuge the continent of Europe was in the grip of that war. American forces and their allies had landed in Scandinavia and were driving east. Soon they would swing southward and threaten Brussels and, eventually, Strasbourg France: the two co-functioning nerve centers of the WCA. An even larger force had landed on the British Isles and had all but annihilated the WCA forces that had opposed them. Soon they would cross the English Channel, drive eastward and encircle the all but paralyzed WCA forces in Western Europe.
An old man looked down on the war ravaged planet. He had often been told of how people had spiritual epiphanies when they looked down on the Earth from space. He had had no such reaction. What he saw looking down on the Earth was chaos. So much could be accomplished if resources, including people, were properly managed. Chaos could not be managed.
The world turning beneath him had not known peace in thousands of years. Humanity had deluded itself into believing that it had fought one war after another over ideologies, religious philosophies, or the laughably abstract concepts of honor and patriotism but, in truth, wars were fought over resources; over wealth. Those that did not have wealth wanted it. Those that already possessed wealth wanted more and they wanted to keep what they already had. It was all very simple, really.
Mankind had begun by fighting with wild beasts to obtain food, and to keep from becoming food. As their numbers increased those early men fought one another for hunting grounds and mates. Later still, they fought to control the best land for agriculture. As humanity evolved a few primitive men found that trading among themselves was more productive and less dangerous than fighting; so men fought each other over the control of the best trading routes. Nothing had changed truly changed.
War, at its core, was always about economics. The churches, nations, and political movements wanted to control people. To control people you had to control the basic resources that they needed to live. If you could meet the people’s basic needs they would usually content, compliant, and happy with, or at least resigned to, whatever situation they found themselves in. Fail to meet those needs and you would see the veneer of civilization fall away and savagery would return. That was what was occurring on global scale below him on Earth.
Mankind needed to managed, not governed; it needed administrators, not leaders. Only the managers and administrators required leadership; the bulk of humanity required only management. Some would call such management slavery; the old man called it efficiency. An efficient civilization was a successful civilization. The best rulers had always been great managers.
The old man turned away from the viewing port and resumed his seat behind a massive, hardwood desk. The desk, like all of the dimly lit office’s furnishings was an antique. The décor was a mix of Victorian and American colonial styles and characterized by rich, dark, intricately carved furniture. Even the titanium bulkheads of the station had been covered with hardwood paneling. No computers or other electronic devices were permitted here; they were tools for either slave masters or slaves; the old man was neither. His tools were logic and the power of his will.
“Send him in,” the old man said; sensing the presence of his visitor in the outer office before the receptionist could activate the intercom and announce is arrival.
Nicholas Roderick stepped in the office but waited at the door’s threshold before approaching the man behind the desk. He felt a sense of reverence here; a reverence mixed disproportionately with fear. Fear was a tangible, real thing in this place; as real as the air he was breathing. In this place one lived and died at the sufferance of the old man behind the desk.
At a solid six feet in height and after a highly successful, if somewhat short, career as a Consortium intelligence operative, Roderick should not have been intimidated by the frail looking, elderly man. But he was; so much so that his scalp tingled with a primal sense of danger beneath his chestnut brown hair. His gray suit seemed to constrict around him as his breathing quickened in some prime evil reaction to lurking but certainly present danger.
The man wore a suit of a style that blended nicely in with the antiques in the room. It was darkly colored, made of silk, and seemed almost magically crease free. The man’s hair was thick and almost bone-white; his eyes were sunken into a face that was criss-crossed with deep wrinkles. His eyes were clear and black, actually black, in color. He moved with a fluid ease that belied his great age.
The old man ignored Roderick for several seconds; writing something carefully using an antique pen and what Roderick thought might be real, made-from -trees, paper. He tried to acclimate himself to the room and its occupant. Calling on his every reserve of fortitude, he fought an increasing urge to bolt from the office and never return.
The old, rustic decorations of the office clashed with the fact that he was on a space station that represented the highest form of corporate technological achievement. The large, twenty by fifteen foot viewport behind the old man was even made to look much like a window one might find in an ordinary house; framed in ebony wood and a set of fine, burgundy colored drapes that could be pulled together to block the slowly rotating view of the Earth from sight. Even the necessary environmental and communication consoles that were built into the bulkheads were made to blend into the Victorian motif and concealed inside brass trimmed, wooden cabinets. The juxtaposition of the old being forced upon the new was unsettling.
The old man put down his pen and waved Roderick toward the desk. “You may speak,” he said.
Roderick sucked in a hard breath. “Thank you,” he said, finally. “As you requested, the actuaries at the Oracle facility have completed new computations after having taken into account the unforeseen events that have occurred in the last three months,” Roderick said, before pausing to await permission to continue.
“Go on,” the old man prompted.
Roderick fought the urge to back away from the desk; the old man seemed to radiate waves of dark, disturbing charisma. “As it stands now, the Americans will overrun Brussels in three to four weeks and Strasbourg one week after that. The Oracle system projects that Western Europe will fall to the Americans and their allies entirely within eighteen months.”
“That quickly?” the old man asked.
“Yes Sir,” Roderick answered. “With the two western central command facilities destroyed, and with the Asians denying access to the eastern command facilities, the WCA forces are in severe disarray. They have been unable, or unwilling, to move sufficient forces from positions in the south to meet the five
American and allied divisions that are advancing through Scandinavia and the forces they have managed to move to the south have been unable to coordinate with one another or maneuver with any degree of sophistication; they are being obliterated.”
Roderick had to clear his throat before continuing. “American forces are already massing in the British Isles for a cross-channel invasion of Europe and the WCA forces have made no attempt counter attack. Instead, they are building fortifications near the French coast and preparing to a fight a static war of attrition. The British government in exile has already moved back to London from the United States and plans to begin administeri
ng governmental functions before the end of the year.”
Roderick paused for breath before continuing. “American and FNF warplanes are roaming over Western Europe virtually at will. With the WCA’s Air Forces’ main headquarters destroyed along with the Central Command itself, the WCA was unable to order its interceptors into action. Most of their warplanes were destroyed on the ground in the first hours of the invasion; those that remain are badly outnumbered and are being shot down with almost casual ease. Allied Naval forces have forced their way into the Mediterranean Sea, sank several WCA warships, and blockaded the Suez Canal. They have also blockaded Dardanelle straits; controlling access to the Black Sea. This control of the Mediterranean Sea will force the WCA to ship strategic materials from India and Africa overland through the Middle East and Eastern Europe or around the Cape of Good Hope. American submarines are already inflicting serious losses on the WCA supply ships in the Cape’s shipping lanes.”
“It is just as bad in the East,” Roderick continued. “The Eastern European nations, particularly Russia, are seeing mass armed uprisings comprised mainly of ethnic nationalists. Large WCA forces have been committed to crushing these uprisings. There are similar uprisings occurring in the Balkans. This, of course, will limit the military resources available to the WCA for use in repelling the allied forces in the west; if and when they regain sufficient command and control capability to initiate and manage such a large and complex movement of troops and equipment.”
Roderick took another breath. “The actuaries project the collapse of the WCA with twenty six months,” he concluded. “The Western European nations will likely reestablish their respective national governments and, eventually, rebuild independent economic systems. This will be followed by an indefinite period of chaos in the Balkans and the Middle East as old ethnic feuds, nationalistic feelings, and religious conflicts reemerge after being forcefully suppressed by the WCA for nearly two decades. This period of chaos could conceivably last for fifty years or more.”
“Do the seers agree with the Oracle system’s actuaries?” the old man asked.
“To a large degree, yes,” Roderick said. “There is some disagreement about some of the details but, for the most part, the predictions from the seers’remote viewing sessions and the actuarial computer models produced by the Oracle system coincide.”
“What is the board doing about the situation?” the old man asked.
“They have already sent emissaries to both the WCA and the allied forces in an attempt to broker a ceasefire,” Roderick replied. “The Consortium has considerable influence in the United States’ Congress and the WCA’s Central Committee, as well as the exiled governments of the Free Nationalist Forces. However, the American and allied military leaders have protested most strenuously against any ceasefire arrangement. General Jeremiah Hicks, commanding general of the Paranormal Army Corps, has been most adamant in that regard. He advocates forcing the WCA leadership into an unconditional surrender or destroying it completely.”
“Can a ceasefire be achieved?” the old man asked.
“The actuaries and seers believe so,” Roderick said.”The American economy is dependent on the Corporate Credit as its basic currency, and the United States is massively indebted to the Consortium. The threat of economic sanctions will carry great weight,” Roderick replied. “And, although the military leadership will oppose a cessation of hostilities, the Consortium has good relationships with many members of the United States’ Congress. Also, the American public is war weary. The Consortium’s media and public relations capability should be able to sway public opinion in favor of a cease fire. However,” Roderick added, “we will have to accept that Great Britain and the Scandinavian nations will once again be sovereign nations; not even the threat of being denied access to the Consortium’s banking system would compel the allies to relinquish those gains.”
“The remnant of WCA is equally indebted to and dependent upon the Consortium, and will accept the ceasefire if for no other reason than to prevent what would certainly be their complete defeat in Western Europe,” Roderick concluded.
“Has anyone discovered how the Americans were able to hide such a massive invasion force from not only from the WCA, but from the Consortium as well?” the old man asked, standing and moving around the desk.
“Not as yet,” Roderick said, watching the old man warily as he began to pace. “While it is troubling that the Oracle System did not discover such a massive force, it is almost inconceivable that the seers were also fooled. The Oracle system relies on incredibly thorough, painstaking collection of uncountable trillions of bits of data from every conceivable source to perform its actuarial function; such data concerning a single subject or event can be hidden or obscured from Oracle’s data-miners. However, the effort and sheer discipline it would require to accomplish this must have been enormous. The Americans must have been fanatically observant of operational security procedures for the invasion preparations.”
“The seers however,” Roderick continued; “are allegedly more intuitive and imaginative than the Oracle system and its operators; and able to penetrate any deception. It was thought that the combination of the Oracle’s quantum computing capability and the seers’ psychic abilities were virtually infallible and inescapable. There has been no credible reason put forth for the seers’ failure to detect the American invasion force or predict the invasion itself.”
The old man nodded; he seemed to know something that Roderick did not. “The seers’ sight was blocked,” the old man said.
“Is that even possible?” Roderick asked.
“It is,” the old man said. “However, no one believed that the Americans had that capability. It seems the Americans have gained some secret allies.”
“Secret allies, Sir?” Roderick asked.
“That is none of your concern,” the old man said stepping in to lock Roderick in his gaze; “or the Board’s.”
“Of course, Sir,” Roderick said, a shudder riding his voice out of his body.
“What about Carter?” the old man asked, stepping away to begin pace again. He circled Roderick as though stalking him.
“It is more difficult for the actuaries and the seers to predict the actions of a single individual; even when they are as carefully monitored as Colonel Carter. However, they do project that the death of his wife, and the circumstances of her death, will substantially change his role in future events.”
“How?” the old man asked.
Roderick fought to control his racing heart. “The Oracle system projects that, while seeking evidence of Colonel Pope’s betrayal and culpability in the death of his wife, Carter will not only find such evidence concerning Colonel Pope, but will also uncover criminally subversive activity on the part of Arthur Pope. The Oracle projects a sixty-five point eight percent probability that Carter and his colleagues will discover Arthur Pope’s ancestry; and subsequently, his connection to both the Consortium and the Thirteen Families. His reaction to these discoveries, and to the malicious intention of Pope and his accomplices toward the United States, and particularly toward the personnel of the Paranormal Army Corps, will certainly be extremely violent.”
“Of that, I am sure,” the old man said.
Roderick nodded. “This violent reaction on Carter’s part contrasts sharply with his projected actions concerning such revelations made prior to the death of his wife. In the previous projections Carter was content to remain with the FIRE teams and retires as a Colonel. Although he would have eventually discovered the Pope’s collusion with the Consortium, his unique ancestry, and their influence on global geopolitics; his predicted responses to that discovery had always involved exposing that collusion to world at large in an attempt to use existing political and legal systems to remove Pope, and those like him, from American government. In the actuarial projections, those efforts almost have always ended in severe damage to both the Consortium’s plans and the agenda of the Thirteen Families. However, that damage, alt
hough severe, was not crippling.”
Roderick sighed in frustration, “Now, because of the corruption he will discover while investigating his wife’s murder, and the motivation to avenge her death, he is predicted to act on his own initiative; using the FIRE teams to eliminate Pope and his coconspirators through direct action. If the projections are accurate, Carter will become a relentless, driven enemy of the Consortium and the Thirteen Families.”
Roderick had to force himself not to turn when the circling old man passed behind him as he continued his report. “Previous projections indicated that Carter would leave military service by 2150 and act only as a consultant to the American military services. Factoring in the death of his wife, the latest projections indicate that he will remain in uniform, rise in rank, and come to profoundly affect American military and political policy. There is even a ten point nine percent likelihood that he will lead a revolution that will restore a purist form of Constitutional government to the United States.”
“The Board is understandably upset with Richard Pope’s bungled attempt to eliminate Carter,” Roderick observed. ”Carter has factored significantly as a threat in nearly every projection concerning the future of both the Consortium and the Thirteen Families. The death of his wife has made him even more of a danger.”
The old man’s jaw clinched momentarily. “What has been done about Richard Pope and this blunder of his?”
“Nothing as yet,” Roderick said; “his father is lobbying the Board strenuously on his behalf.”
“Are the Board members being swayed?” the old man asked.
“For the most part, no,” Roderick replied; “they feel that Pope was clumsy and careless in executing the attempt on Carter’ life. The Board seems content to allow Carter to take his revenge on both Richard Pope and perhaps even his father. However, Arthur Pope has resources other than those granted him by the Consortium; he may use those resources to protect his son and himself, not only from Carter, but from the Consortium as well.”
The Fate Of Nations: F.I.R.E. Team Alpha: Book One Page 32
