New America 02 - Resistance Read Online Free PDF

was at this juncture that Stacy was most valuable to Howard.  Sterling asked for Stacy’s input on every matter, and she helped him prepare each brief before it was sent to the regional governors.  These documents detailed some of the most horrific violations of human rights Stacy had ever seen:  Illegal aliens were not deported, they were executed.  Those who spoke out against the UAE, foolishly invoking their lost right to free speech, were killed rather than imprisoned.  PSA sympathizers weren’t exiled; they, too, were put to death.  Any citizen caught crossing into the hundred mile no-man’s land surrounding the Pacific States of America took with them to eternity the knowledge that their families would be joining them as well.  The only comfort Stacy found in preparing these briefs was the knowledge that no one in the UAE had a clue as to the whereabouts of Howard Beck.
    As her meds kicked in and she began to relax, Stacy instructed Syd to open an encrypted channel with Howard.  The internal squabbling between President Sterling and his regional governors would be of great interest to Howard.
     
    ***
     
    Simon Sterling was furious with himself for giving his regional governors too much slack to run their territories.  If he wasn’t sympathetic to Jim’s role as a grandfather, he would think the regional governors were directly challenging him.  Jim Weygandt had taken action without seeing the big picture.  The Unified American Empire could not spare so much as a single soldier for the round-up of slave traders.  To do so would prevent the military from carrying out other, more vital, functions. Simon had not addressed the issue of slavery with any of his regional governors, and he doubted they discussed it amongst themselves. Truth be told, none of them wanted to face the ugly reality – slave labor was rebuilding the broken country at an impressive rate. To interfere with the system was to bring to a screeching halt the reconstruction Sterling’s advisors had cautioned could take twenty years to complete otherwise.
    “Computer.”
    “Yes, Mr. President.”
    “Contact Regio nal Governors Jimenez, Walston, and Prince, and inform them that I want to speak to them immediately.”
    “Yes, Mr. President. S tandby, please.”
    Less than a minute later, the three governors were in front of the president’s desk in the form of holograms.  They exchanged pleasantries with the leader of the UAE, who was eager to get down to business.
    “I trust you all know the reason for this meeting?”
    “We do, Mr. President.”  Roberto Jimenez spoke for the three of them.
    “Were the three of you contacted by Governor Weygandt?”
    They nodded in unison.
    “May I ask why you chose not to join his cause?”
    “Simply put, Mr. President, we felt it was a decisio n that needed to be made by you,” Governor Jimenez explained.
    President Sterling reigned in his budding anger. “My thoughts exactly.  I think Jim and his supporters got caught up in the good governor’s passion and acted rashly.”
    Lori Prince responded. “Mr. President, I advised caution to Governor Weygandt for that very reason.  I urged him to take some time and not let emotion guide his actions.  I also strongly encouraged him to discuss the matter with you before proceeding.”
    Simon Ster ling sat in restrained silence, his piercing stare pinning the trio of governors where they stood. After an uncomfortable interlude, he continued.  “The three of you were right not to act on such a delicate matter.  While I sympathize with the ordeal Jim’s experienced, his actions were hasty and unwise.  The crusade he embarked upon is a fool’s errand and will never see the light of day.  We simply do not have the resources to carry out such a monumental task.  Our nation is crumbling, and it will take every ounce of our resources to keep our little house of cards from crashing down on us.”
    The three reg ional governors could read between