Holding Their Own XI: Hearts and Minds by Joe Nobody

servers, files, and even entire courthouses have burned, been ransacked, or are just missing. If you’re a survivor, you’ll be able to file claims for all of the assets, property, resources, and facilities owned before it all went to hell. Of course, stocks, bonds, and other investments will be dealt with later.”
    Nodding, Cameron said, “That’s welcome news. Thank you, gentlemen, for the update. I hope your travels back to Texas are safe, and I look forward to seeing you both again soon.”
    Once alone, the shunned executive returned to the view outside his window.
    For the first time since his exile, he noted the clear horizon and expansive, flat landscape from a positive perspective. There is beauty in it , he surmised. His hard work was about to pay dividends.
    When it became apparent that para-military force wasn’t going to dislodge the Alliance, he’d settled on a different strategy. In a way, the fledgling government now in control of his homeland was a competitor, just like the dozens of corporations he’d bested before the apocalypse. Why should he treat a bunch of amateurs from West Texas any differently? It was all business.
    Inheriting control of the U.S. Army’s assets within the state made his nemesis nearly impossible to dislodge with force, but there were other ways.
    More than once Cameron and his father had beaten back a larger, more powerful enemy. Stock options, futures manipulation, greasing the pockets of regulators, and an army of the best lawyers in the oil patch had resulted in some impressive victories. As the old adage went, often it wasn’t what you knew, but whom you knew that could win the day. Cam knew a lot of people.
    Now that rule of law, banking, high finance, and a system of justice were being reestablished in Texas, why shouldn’t he use the same methods to defeat this newest foe?
    He had people on the inside providing an excellent pipeline of intelligence and perspective. He had the financial assets, legitimate claims, and a growing political clout. The Alliance was struggling, her people growing impatient for progress that always seemed to be slow in coming… and disappointing in the application.
    Just a few weeks ago, pounds of nuclear waste were floating through the air toward the Texas heartland, nearly setting off a panic. War with the United States, for the third time since the downfall, had been a realistic threat.
    There had been so many dangers, potential disasters, and setbacks for the Alliance, it was no wonder her citizens were a potential tinderbox. It would only take the right match to set it all ablaze.
    Cameron stood and exhaled a deep sigh. It was time to make his move. Confidence was high.
    Unlike all of the external threats that had served to pull the people of Texas together, his would be an internal assault, exposing the rot and decay that was the Alliance’s government. He would use their own weaknesses against them, wield their own systems and rules as a weapon.
    He would split their leadership, instill waves of doubt through the population, and prove to the people that it was all a big lie. 
    “A house divided cannot stand,” he whispered, paraphrasing President Lincoln’s famous line.
     

    Diana entered the secure communications room, thanking the specialist for rolling over a chair. Bishop elected to stand.
    “The president is on the frequency, ma’am.”
    Pressing the microphone’s button, the Alliance leader said, “Good morning, Mr. President.”
    “Top of the day to you, Miss Brown, and thank you for coming. As usual, my day is overbooked, so I’ll get right down to brass tacks. Given the calamity that nearly occurred in New Mexico, I would like to offer an exchange of ambassadors between Alpha and Washington. It’s the tried and true method to avoid such misunderstandings, and I think both of our governments will benefit from such an arrangement. It’s not foolproof, but it’s the best idea I’ve heard so far.”
    Glancing at