Eagle One sat amidst the ruins of the Carmel Valley Ranch Resort a few hours after the death of Stonewall. His soldiers-the shock finally setting in-shuffled across the smoky wasteland like zombies.
Captain Benny Duda walked up the ramp and met Trevor inside the passenger module of the transport.
"Sir, it was the General's wish that I present you with his sword. He felt that you may yet have some use for it."
Trevor stared at the brass hand guard and pommel of the weapon. Benny held it across both hands with his palms up and his head bowed.
"Benny…I'm sorry."
"The General wished you to have this," Duda repeated.
Trevor sensed that Benny Duda wanted to ask if the missile strike on L.A. might have cost Stonewall his life. He wanted to know if the destiny Trevor Stone served really demanded that men fight other men.
As he felt the cool metal in his hand, Trevor realized how much time had passed since he visited Stonewall. During the early days of Armageddon, he and Garrett often conversed. As the group of survivors grew into "The Empire," Stonewall became a distant leader out in the battlefields fighting the war Trevor directed.
Trevor realized how much he would miss General Stonewall McAllister as he placed his friend's sword on the rack of weapons aboard Eagle One so that he would never forget the troubled, eccentric gentleman who had become a legend.
– The cherry blossoms no longer bloomed in Washington D.C., having been the preferred snack of alien herbivores in the years between the collapse of the United States government and The Empire's liberation of the city.
It would not have mattered. Even the bursts of color and sweet scent of cherry trees could not chase away the gloom coating the town on the afternoon of May 1 ^ st.
Despite the successful end of the California war and regardless of the bright spring day, the crowds along the national mall gathered in great sadness to bid farewell to the most beloved General in man's army.
A horse-drawn cart carried Garrett McAllister's coffin to the stairs of the refurbished Capitol building. Draped over his last vessel was a black flag featuring a hand holding a sword in angry defiance of the alien invaders.
Washington hosted thousands of mourners coming from across the emancipated lands, as far as Miami to the south and Maine to the north. Such a relatively small gathering would have barely caught the attention of the old media back in times when demonstrators by the hundreds of thousands would sometimes mass in the streets of Washington. However, in terms of the new world, some ten thousand onlookers seemed like a mass of humanity.
Canine Grenadiers flanked the route, their noses and ears scanning for threats. Behind the funeral cart followed the larger-than-life figures who held the reigns of The Empire, but who somehow looked very small in comparison to the image of the fallen General.
Trevor held one of his wife's hands as they walked, his blond-haired eight-year-old son held her other hand. To their sides and behind trailed the council including the Brewers, Omar Nehru, Dr. Maple, Dante Jones, Eva Rheimmer, and Brett Stanton as well as General Shepherd and Ray Roos who served as Trevor's personal Chief of Security.
As remarkable as it was to see the ruling cabal marching together in somber steps, those missing grabbed the most attention. While few of the watchers wondered about the absence of Gordon Knox or Anita Nehru, the lack of Evan Godfrey fueled much gossip. Especially since most knew that Evan himself had pushed for D.C. to host Stonewall's last journey.
Instead of joining the procession, Evan Godfrey hosted a separate memorial service not too far away in the shadow of the Washington monument. There he stood with his head bowed in respect for the fallen hero, but he would not march with those who, Godfrey told the press, shouldered responsibility for a "needless death."
The casket reached the Capitol and was moved into the rotunda by an honor guard. Velvet ropes would soon mark public lines through the cavernous round chamber, but not until the Emperor and his entourage privately bid their farewells.
For the moment the rotunda belonged to a select few, with guards posted beyond closed doors, K9 sentries inside, and Ray Roos standing a respectful distance from the others.
Trevor's footsteps echoed around the imposing chamber as he drifted to the coffin and placed a hand on its stainless steel surface. "He was a good man." Murmurs of agreement. "I figure he died doin' what he felt called to do," Shepherd added.
Trevor noticed that Dante kept his distance from the others. He cocked an eye and approached his old friend who wore a dark blue Internal Security dress uniform.
A week had passed since Stonewall's death in the last major battle of the California invasion. The war ended without any formal surrender because The Cooperative lacked the leaders to issue such decrees.
Trevor spent the last seven days consolidating the territory and dealing with revised force deployments, all with a growing belly ache of anger born from Internal Security's overzealous efforts on the front lines. That anger received extra fuel from the decision to hold the memorial in D.C., a move Trevor saw as yet another step toward the old world; the types of steps Evan Godfrey liked to take.
"What's wrong, Dante? This man was a hero, don’t you think?"
Lori tried to intercede. Her husband stopped her. The others stood silent as Trevor and Dante's words reverberated around the massive dome. Ashley hurried JB from the chamber in anticipation of the coming explosion. Roos held the door for the mother and son but he remained. "Yeah, he was a hero. Look, Trevor, you got something you want to say to me, say it." Trevor stood directly in front of Dante. Their noses nearly touched. "Okay. What the Hell were your I.S. guys doing so far out on the front line?"
Dante took a hesitant step backward, sighed, then answered, "So that's it? I get bitched at for not having the manpower to do my job and now I'm getting bitched at because we came through? Is that what this is about, Trevor? I think you just don't like I.S."
Trevor lunged without thinking, allowing his anger to get the better of his wisdom: "What is that supposed to mean? I don’t' like I. S? I made I. S, Dante. I made you, too, remember that."
Dante spat, "You made me? What the-"
"So I got to wonder how in Christ's name all the Witiko brass ended up in your hands. You're playing a game and I don't like games."
"Listen to yourself. You don’t trust Internal Security, is that it? Because when you were gone three years ago some of my people thought maybe Evan was right about a few things. Is that it? You need to get over yourself. There's a Senate now, and just because I have to do some things they tell me to do doesn't mean I'm playing some game on you."
Trevor's head cocked to the side and took Dante's words as confirmation.
"So it's true. The Senate told you to be operating so far forward. The Senate told you to pick up the Witiko officers. Maybe you don't know the score but-"
Dante burst and knocked Trevor off balance with his words: "I know the score, Trevor. I know the Sentient Species Protection Act. You know, the one you signed into law? Under the law that you signed it says Internal Security is responsible for the protection of those aliens that aren't supposed to be ripped apart and studied. That's the law you signed after you found out you were playing for the wrong team on some other Earth, right? Tell me something, man, why didn't we ever make that little bit of info public, huh?"
The council had agreed to limit the amount of information revealed to the general population about what Trevor found on that other Earth. As far as the citizens were concerned, the battle to save humanity raged across parallel Earths, making their own struggle seem all the more important. The fact that in those other universes mankind came from Sirius and played the role of an invader was kept secret.
Lori Brewer, despite being held at bay by Jon, called, "You know why we didn't tell anyone about that, Dante. Same reason we kept secret what we found at Cheyenne Mountain. The people didn't need to know what happened to the last President and his staff; it would have been too gruesome. Same with what Trevor found. If people heard we were the bad guys somewhere else, then maybe they'd ask more questions about the war here. If we're going to survive, we can't afford that."
Dante glanced at Lori, listened, and then said, "You mean the Emperor can't afford that."
"Oh, now you sound like you've got something to say, Dante. What is it?"
"Okay then, fuck it. Everyone heard you killed the California Governor and his top people when the war was already won."
Brewer defended, "Taking out command and control is a military tactic."
"Bull. Trevor murdered them because they were making nice with aliens. Maybe they had a better idea, a different idea. Everything around here has to be exactly as Trevor says, right?"
"We pledged an oath," Lori recalled their vow to follow Trevor without question.
"Things have changed," Dante stared at Trevor. "People signed on to kill aliens. And even this California thing, I get it. Sure. But there were a lot of people wondering if there was a better way, but the more they wondered the harder you pushed to do things the way you wanted. You won't listen, Trevor. You can be a real stubborn son of a bitch."
"I negotiated with California for a year. I got a job to do, Dante, you hear?"
"I got a job to do, too. This time the job came from the Senate. They told me to make sure the Witiko people didn't get gunned down or something. They want to hold hearings and shit like that. They want to interview the Witiko."
"Don't be an ass," Trevor said. "This is Evan Godfrey trying to score political points."
"There you go again. Everyone is out to get Trevor, is that it? Not everyone who isn't one-hundred percent with you is against you. Think about it, man. We got a shit load of Witiko officers, they know our language, and they've been on this planet for like ten years. Did it ever occur to you to talk to them? To ask them why? To find out what brought them here? I think the Senate is going to do that. Sounds like a smart idea to me. But hey, what do I know? You made me, right? I'm just your dumb friend, the one you threw a scrap to back when all this started. Maybe that was a mistake."
"I needed you, Dante. You got a good head on your shoulders, most of the time. But you're getting caught up in political games. Don't you see? Evan wants everything to be like it used to be, because that's the only way he can ever be the politician he always wanted to be. I stand in his way. So he's always looking to score points against me. When he does that, he weakens the war effort. Don't you see that? Are you that blind?"
"I'm not blind, buddy. I see a friggin' paranoid egomaniac who can't stand the idea that maybe he's wrong once in a while; that maybe someone like Godfrey or the people in the Senate might just have a good idea now and then. Jesus, Trevor, those people were elected for a reason, but you keep treating them like shit."
"That's out of line."
Dante held his arms wide and dared, "Fine, it's out of line. Fire me. Give the job to some lackey who'll do whatever you want without question. Hey Ray," Dante called over to the Chief of Security. "You want to be Director of Internal Security?"
Roos shifted uncomfortably but did not speak.
Trevor said, "You don't get out of it that easy. I want the Witiko through the runes fast."
"I can't do that. Senate's orders. You could veto those orders, but that means you'll be vetoing the law you signed, Emperor. Then again, you're all-powerful, right? Why don't you just make it up as you go along."
While the rest of the council stood and watched as silently as mice in a room full of cats, Shepherd asked, "How many of them fellas you got hold up?"
Dante, still looking at Trevor, answered, "Fifty officers, including Chancellor D'Trayne. They're in I.S. facilities in Kansas waiting for transfer to Maryland and Virginia. They've been separated from the rest of the Witiko civvies and grunts; the Senate only wants the officers."
Trevor stuck a finger at Dante, nearly poking his chest.
"The rank and file, through the runes. Top priority. I want those fifty Witiko to be the only damn Witiko on this planet by the end of the month. Shove aside the Hivvans and Duass and whatever, I don't care. All of their gear-Stingrays, weapons, whatever-gets turned over to the military and Intelligence this week. Got it?"
"Yeah man, I got it. Is that all, sir?"
"Dante," Trevor's voice cooled a notch. "You've been my friend since we were little kids. Don’t' screw us up now, just because you can't handle how things changed between us."
"Oh man, you don’t understand, do you, Trev? I'm still trying to be your friend. You just aren't letting me."
– Evan Godfrey lived on a sprawling, isolated estate not far outside of Washington D.C. The grounds were surrounded by tall trees, ensuring privacy and blocking the view of any prying eyes. However, the Senator often liked prying eyes, so at the front of the home by the circular driveway waited a pedestal and seating, always ready to accommodate a press conference.
On this day, no members of the press waited for words of wisdom from the President of the Senate. They were too busy in their newsrooms following the events of earlier that afternoon including the funeral procession, the massive crowds, and the Emperor's speech.
On the television inside Evan Godfrey's personal den played another speech, one he had made a few hours earlier from the grounds around the Washington monument.
After a snippet of Evan's words the reporter recounted, "The Senator suggests that a conspiracy exists between the military and Imperial Intelligence akin to the old military-industrial complex thought to have driven foreign policy in the 1950s and 1960s. As part of his heated remarks, the Senator questioned why we still plan to fight when the, quote, 'sea to shining sea' of the continental United States has been liberated and we still have much work to do within our own borders. Based on the response of the crowd as well as the prominent union and political figures in attendance, it's fair to say that the Senator found his message well-received." Godfrey switched off the television with a click on the remote control. His wife, Sharon, leaned on the desk. "Oh that's great, Evan," she mocked. "Another fantastic speech." "You just don't get it, do you?" "That's right," she recalled and rolled her eyes. "I’m not a good poker player." "Not playing poker any more. The game has changed."
"Is that so? Tell me, my loving husband, what game is afoot?"
Evan did not speak but Sharon got an answer as three men entered the room. More specifically, two men and one alien.
One man, an Internal Security guard, was quickly dismissed. The second was Brad Gannon, former actor and most recently an ambassador of propaganda for the now-defunct California Cooperative.
Evan addressed the third newcomer, an alien wearing a robe over a bodysuit and painted in silver cosmetic. "Chancellor D'Trayne, it is good to see you again."
The leader-turned-prisoner did not share Evan's good mood.
"Neither of you fulfilled your pledge to disrupt the invasion. I have nothing to say."
"You think not, Chancellor?" Evan motioned for the two to sit at chairs opposite his desk and, in the same motion, waved his wife from the room. She closed the door behind her.
Evan went on, "I've been speaking with Brad, here, and I think there are some things left to be done. But only if you approve, Chancellor, because I'm going to need your help."
"I do not understand, Senator."
"Brad here tells me of your…of your friends. Let's just say, I think we could all be friends. I think there are ways we can all work together, for the common good. The way you worked with Malloy for the common good in California."
D'Trayne's pupils glowed orange.
"I do not believe you are in a position to bargain, you have no power, Senator Godfrey."
Brad ran a hand through his jet black hair and said, "'Chancellor, Evan here is real high speed. And I've been talking to our friends, just like five years ago. They're interested in what the Senator here has to say. Man, I think we might just be on to something." "I say again," D'Trayne argued, "the Senator is in no position to make deals." "I soon will," Evan snapped. "Oh," D'Trayne grinned grimly. "Exactly what will you do to get that power?"
Evan turned on the television again. A news anchor reported, "Senator Godfrey's speech appears to have struck a chord. Several prominent community and business leaders have voiced concern about a link between war planning and what the Senator calls the military and intelligence complex…"
Evan answered, "I just need to make a few more speeches."