The War After Armageddon (48 page)

Of course, the Army was disbanded, as was the Marine Corps, their missions assumed by the Military Order of the Brothers in Christ. The Air Force went next—believing to the end it would be spared—then the Navy received its new dispensation. By the end of the Holy War, we were a unified people in every respect. We praised God for it.

General Harris was right about one thing: It
was
difficult to kill a billion people. But it wasn’t impossible. After their cities had been destroyed, all of their images and records obliterated and the names of those cities removed from every map and book, we still had to launch the seven Great Hunts—one for each of the Seven Seals foretold—to finish the job. Even now, we hear tales of Deobandi and Naqshbandi fanatics praising Allah in the nuclear deserts.

There was, of course, the dispute with the Chinese Messiah over the radioactive fallout from our nuclear offerings. But our Chinese brothers and sisters were exhausted by their civil war. And Christians were not yet ready to fight Christians. The Chinese eventually aided us in the last several Great Hunts.

At home, we enjoyed an age of sacred glory, albeit with a spike in cancer rates. But we must not question God’s purposes.

Yet, as the years went by, I
did
begin to question. The soul is not steady, nor is it still. And I do not believe I have been alone in my swelling discontent. Indeed, I
know
I am not alone. There was the Rebellion of the Fallen Angels in the California Reserve five years ago, for one thing. A number of us who had learned to speak in whispers grew excited by the hope of regained freedoms. Then we
learned that the rebels sought to bring our New Jerusalem into the fold of the Chinese Messiah, whose Christianity is sterner still than ours.

I do not overlook the good. We live in comfort and safety, and he who does not transgress need have no fear. But there are so many possible transgressions.

What brought about my private change of heart? It did not come suddenly. I am a cautious man. I believe my slow turnabout began with the Cleansing of the Books, when a Helpful Visit condemned my entire library. There was even a question, briefly, of a trial, until they realized I truly had been ignorant of the additions to the latest Christian Index. It had become difficult to acquire information, even when the information included the latest rules we were to obey.

Anyway, they burned my books.
Moll Flanders
and
The Great Gatsby
,
Hamlet
and
Anna Karenina
, even poor
Clarissa
in her innocence—they all went to the fire as startled martyrs. I miss them still.

Of course, I speak for my waning generation. The Blessed Teachers discourage personal reading by the young. The young do not seem to mind.

But there you have the heart of how it all went wrong, I think. I do not mean that we suddenly found our courage when they burned our books—the intellectual’s valor is a fairy tale. I mean something quite the opposite: We who cherished books believed that books could defend themselves. To the final cinder, we
believed
that the pen was mightier than the sword, for so we had been told. We were such fools.

Others among us trusted to the quality of our laws and failed to see that those laws had little power against men who valued only the law of God. Still others believed that their wealth would insulate them, but their wealth was confiscated for Christ. Some trusted their beauty, their talent, or family ties. All, all were mistaken. Only purity of faith mattered, and no one could be certain his faith would be judged pure.

And General Harris? What a hopeless fool the man was! For all
his skill as a soldier, for all he had endured in bitter wars, he still believed in human goodness. He was as blind as Christ entering Jerusalem.

But Harris was no traitor. No matter what the permitted books may say.

I
was the traitor. And now I have turned traitor again. To set down
this
book as penance.

I am Judas.

This is a novel, not a strategic forecast. That said, the plot does engage several of my enduring concerns, most notably the iniquity of fanat i cism in the name of any faith; the danger of nuclear proliferation among parties not dependably subject to deterrence; and our military’s reliance on electronics that may prove all too fragile in a major war. Warfare’s superficial manifestations change mightily, but its essence remains flesh and blood.

Readers with military experience know that I’ve taken liberties in three areas. First, I drastically limited the use of acronyms to avoid rendering the book opaque even to veterans. A typical staff officer can work a half-dozen acronyms into a simple declarative sentence, but effective storytelling can’t emulate a cryptogram. Second, I simplified the structure of a corps staff to concentrate on a few key players. I sought to capture the
feel
of a staff, based on personal experience, instead of bogging the plot down in the infernal complexity of line-and-block charts and niche responsibilities.
Third, I accelerated the pace of events to keep things “high and tight.” Forgive me.

Finally, I owe great thanks to several friends who helped me avoid embarrassing mistakes. Given the controversial themes of this novel, I won’t embarrass them by using their names, but they know who they are: a cherished wine-drinking buddy who commanded a Marine regiment at war; another old friend and veteran U.S. Army Armor officer who went out of his way to prevent me from “throwing a track” on the page; and, not least, the magnificent Marine aviators out at Miramar who let me “crash” an F/A-18. The misfires in this novel are my own, but the steel on target owes much to these generous men.

ANDRETTI
, Michael “Mike,” col o nel, G-3/Operations officer, III (US) Corps. The G-3 is responsible for converting the commander’s decisions into orders and translating the commander’s intentions into plans. The alpha dog among staff officers, the “Three” is responsible for keeping his grip on the battle at all times and alerting the commander to problems that require a decision on his part. A good G-3 makes his commander’s life easier, while a poor Three makes life hell for the rest of the staff.

BRATTY
, Dilworth “Brats,” command sergeant major, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry. A battalion command sergeant major is the unit’s senior enlisted soldier, responsible for looking after the troops and advising the commander on practical matters. A good CSM keeps both his troops and his commander out of trouble while terrorizing ju nior officers as required. A poor CSM drinks a great deal of coffee while complaining that the Army isn’t what it once was. Bratty is a model CSM.

CAVANAUGH
, Patrick Xavier “Pat,” lieutenant col o nel, commander, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry. First served under Lieutenant General Harris in Bremerhaven, Germany, during the great Muslim evacuation, when Harris was a newly appointed brigadier general and Cavanaugh was a captain. A battalion commander is responsible for everything his soldiers do or fail to do.

COLMER-HARRIS
, Sarah, wife of Lieutenant General Harris. Overcame her training and career as a lawyer to become a decent human being.

DANCZUK
, Valentin “Val,” col o nel, G-2/Intelligence officer, III (US) Corps. The “Two” (or “Deuce”) is responsible for monitoring, analyzing, and forecasting the enemy situation for the commander. A good G-2 helps the commander act more swiftly and incisively than the enemy can do. A poor G-2 gives history lessons.

DANIELS
, Barry Douglas “Dawg,” col o nel, Marine air group commander.

DORN
, Avi, brigadier general, commander, 10th Armored Brigade, Israeli Exile Force.

GARCIA
, Ricardo “Ricky,” sergeant and squad leader, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, Fifth Marines. Becomes acting platoon sergeant after his company is ambushed and decimated by a Jihadi suicide unit fighting a rear-guard action.

AL-GHAZI
, Abdul, lieutenant general, commander of the Third Ji-hadi Corps, Blessed Army of the Great Jihad, and the immediate battlefield counterpart of Lieutenant General Harris and his III (US) Corps.

HARRIS
, Gary “Flintlock,” lieutenant general, commander, III (US) Corps. The most-decorated general officer still on active duty in the reduced-in-size U.S. Army, with the following awards: Distinguished Service Cross (Nigeria); Silver Star (Iraq); Silver Star, second award (Saudi Arabia); Silver Star, third award (Nigeria); Bronze
Star with V device (Iraq); Bronze Star with V device, second award (Pakistan).

AL-MAHDI
, Suleiman, emir-general of the Emirate of al-Quds and Damaskus, commander of all Blessed Army of the Great Jihad (Jihadi) forces in the theater of war.

MAXWELL
, Montgomery Masterson “Monty” VI, lieutenant col o -nel, commander, 2nd battalion, 34th Armor (combined arms). His ancestors have served as U.S. Army officers since 1854, with three reaching the general-officer ranks.

MCCOY
, Sean “Real-Deal,” G-4/Logistics officer, III (US) Corps. The “Four” is responsible for ensuring that the commander’s vision and the G-3’s ambitious orders are supported with adequate supplies of fuel, ammunition, food, water, spare parts, major components, and other required items, delivered at the right place and time under combat conditions. He is the only member of the G-staff expected to work actual miracles on a routine basis, whether in the Holy Land or elsewhere.

MICAH
, Frederick Rockwell “Stoney,” lieutenant general, senior Air Force officer in the theater of war. Career fighter pilot. Assigned to Holy Land Command during the conflict, Micah would go on to receive his fourth star and appointment as (the last) Air Force chief of staff under President Gui.

MONTFORT
, Simon “Sim,” lieutenant general and General of the Order, Military Order of the Brothers in Christ. Commander of all MOBIC forces in the theater of war, including the largest corps ever deployed by the United States. A rising star in the U.S. Army, Montfort achieved national prominence after being born again under the spiritual guidance of the Reverend Doctor Gui (later vice president, then president), leading to Montfort’s transfer of allegiance to the just-forming MOBIC.

MORRIS
, Morton Thurgood “Monk,” major general, commander, 1st Marine Division (reinforced with Marine Expeditionary Force assets).

ROSE
, Martin “Marty,” lieutenant col o nel, G-3 Plans officer, III (US) Corps (following General Harris’s reinstitution of the old, more compact staff system for the campaign).

SCHWACH
, Kurt Konrad, four-star general, commander, Holy Land Command (HOLCOM) and immediate superior of Lieutenant General Harris. Headquartered on Cyprus, out of range of all known Ji-hadi weapons.

SCOTT
, Walter Robert Burns “Scottie,” major general, commander, 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One).

STRAMARA
, James Jason “J.J.,” major general, commander, 1st Cavalry Division (The First Team).

WALKER
, James Ryan “Jake,” captain, company commander, 1-18 Infantry.

WILLING
, John Jude, major, aide-de-camp to Lieutenant General Harris. Collects books, primarily classic fiction, a hobby he conceals from his peers.

A

ABRAMS:
M-1 series main battle tank, named in honor of General Creighton Abrams. Widely introduced into the U.S. Army in the 1980s, it remains the finest tank in the world.

ATGM:
Antitank guided missile.

B

BIG RED ONE:
1st Infantry Division, U.S. Army.

BMNT:
Begin Morning Nautical Twilight. The predawn point at which sailors pretend they can see things.

BMO:
Battalion Maintenance Officer. Expected to fix what the other officers break.

“BOOTS AND SADDLES”:
Old Cavalry expression for “Mount up!” or just “Let’s get moving.”

BRADLEY:
Large, tracked Infantry combat vehicle, first widely introduced in the U.S. Army in the 1980s. Named in honor of General Omar Bradley.

BUNDESGRENZSCHUETZEN:
German federal border police.

C

CANISTER ROUND:
Tank main gun or artillery round containing hundreds or thousands of small steel balls. Used against attacking personnel, “soft-skin” vehicles, or to clear a street.

CAP:
Combat Air Patrol; fighter aircraft (manned or UAVs) flying missions to protect other aircraft with specialized roles, such as ground attack or reconnaissance. A mission Air Force pilots love when faced with inferior enemies.

CHART:
Christian Heritage Advance Rescue Team. Biblical-archaeology reconaissance element deployed by MOBIC forces.

COMPUTER PLAGUES:
Later-generation computer viruses that, after penetrating a system, can overcome all internal defenses.

D

DEUCE:
Nickname for the primary staff officer for intelligence at all tactical and operational levels; from the formal nomenclature “G-2.”

DRONE:
1.) Nickname for an unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV. In this war, they aren’t passive drones, but, once launched, can think for themselves, swarm “instinctively,” locate targets, act singly or as an integrated force, and duel with other UAVs or manned aircraft. 2.) Any Air Force general.

DSI-40
S
ATELLITE
: Multipurpose intelligence-gathering satellite.

E

ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM:
The invisible realm of wavelengths through which systems communicate. Disruptions, such as jamming, can interfere with everything from radio reception to satellite transmissions, depending on the frequencies attacked and the sophistication of the attacker’s weapons.