He growled at his wife, "I don't want pity, I don't want a kick in the ass, and I sure don't want this! Who are the idiots who voted for me? Didn't they see what happened three years ago? Is that what they want? They want me to ruin it all?"

  "Maybe people think that if Gordon Knox were in charge then we'd have ourselves some kind of tyrant. He'd probably slaughter the Senate and turn this whole thing into a fascist paradise. Maybe they have a faith that you're a lot better than that." He clenched his fists and pounded his thighs. "I am a General, a soldier. I am not a politician. I am not a leader." Lori sighed then placed her arms on his tall shoulders as he stopped pacing and gazed at the floor. "Jon, don't try to be the same leader Trevor Stone was. Do what you think is best, not what you think he would do." "That's the problem. I think it's best for us that I'm not in charge." — Three hours after the press conference announcing Jon Brewer as the new Emperor, the freight handlers union went on strike demanding changed work rules to improve safety plus an insistence on regulations against mandatory overtime.

  At midnight that same day, four off-duty soldiers were killed when an arsonist torched a popular military night club in Indianapolis; a caller claimed the fire was in response to the 'military' coup. Copycat crimes over the next two days included a homemade bomb detonating during a promotions ceremony in Bangor, Maine and bullets fired into the dreadnought shipyards at Pittsburgh.

  While Evan Godfrey took to the air waves to urge calm and restraint, lesser known politicians sprung from the woodwork pointing to the General's ascension to the top post in the land as a sign that there truly existed a military-intelligence conspiracy.

  More workers walked off the job on June 12 ^ th in a wildcat strike at the matter-making facilities in Atlanta. This caused a shortfall in the supply of lubricants and petroleum products, which in turn ratcheted up the inflation rate to double digits.

  About half of the media remained optimistic over Jon's election. Several did long pieces on his exemplary battlefield record and credited him with the development of the dreadnought program. Those same newspapers and broadcast stations recapped Jon's voyage to South America aboard the Excalibur the year before, calling it a 'heroic' expedition into the unknown.

  At the same time, a fair number of media outlets attacked his election, citing his personal failures during Trevor's absence three years ago and wondering why political leadership did not go to someone with political experience.

  While the level of panic and problems did not rise nearly as high as three years ago, Jon felt uncertainty simmering out there. He felt it simmering in his own stomach, too.

  Things changed on June 13 ^ th.

  Jon sat at Trevor's old desk, having been invited by Ashley to look for any items that might be of use. He had the place to himself: Benjamin Trump took his daughter and his grandson to a movie at the small theater in Wilkes-Barre at the request of Jorgie, who seemed obsessed with attending a 'classic films' festival featuring The Manchurian Candidate.

  In any case, Jon found stacks of papers covering a wide range of topics, the sheer scope of which generated a painful thump in his temples. The headache forming there was interrupted when Dante Jones and Evan Godfrey entered the office.

  "Hey, buddy, what's up?"

  "Hello, Dante. Just going through some stuff. You two in town for tomorrow's council meeting?"

  Evan made a point of walking over to Jon and extending his hand (his sling finally off) but carried himself in a much more humble-perhaps cautious-demeanor than usual. His voice faltered a bit as he said to Jon, "It's good to see you."

  Godfrey then glanced at Dante and seemed to hesitate over something. Dante, however, said to Evan, "Go ahead, tell him. He needs to know."

  "Tell me what?"

  Evan thought for a moment before saying, "Jon, my connection in the labor unions tells me that things are getting out of control. I don’t' know how to say this, but they sense a moment of weakness with a, well…"

  "With me as leader."

  "I wouldn't put it quite like that. But they do sense an opportunity to get concessions, both from their private employers and from government rules and regulations. I've heard rumors of at least another dozen strikes coming. The workers are trying for raises in the minimum wage, improved benefits packages, stronger safety regulation, tighter work hours, and so forth."

  Dante added, "My people are saying that the black market is growing, what with inflation so bad and all. There have been supply shortages in some areas, partly because of these strikes but also because people are hoarding stuff. I don't know, but it seems like some people out there feel like the government is going to collapse or something."

  "So? What do you want me to do?"

  Dante answered, "Hey, man it's just info. We need to be prepared for these things. I mean, it's getting pretty bad."

  Evan suggested, "We may need to take some, well, radical steps to bring stability back to the economy and, I think, society at large."

  Jon's pride got the better of him for a moment, despite how little he wanted his new job. At over six feet tall, Jon towered above the other two as he got up from the chair and stood.

  "I'm not doing enough, is that it? I'm screwing it up again?"

  Dante calmed, "Jon, no, that's not it. But listen to him, man. Everything is hanging by a thread and it’s all on your shoulders."

  Jon took a deep breath and nodded, giving Evan permission to speak his piece.

  "Remember in the old world if you had a one-hundred dollar bill in your pocket you felt good? Why was that? Like our Continental Dollars, the old dollars were just printed on paper with ink. But right now, even the largest Contys aren’t held in much respect, are they?"

  Jon closed his eyes knowing he could not avoid the coming lecture. Still, a small part of him welcomed Evan’s words. Maybe it was the way the man spoke. His voice sounded smooth and reassuring. Despite the economic chaos stretching from the Atlantic Coast to the newly assimilated territories in California, Evan’s voice suggested a simple answer to that chaos, if only someone would listen.

  "It wasn’t the paper and ink of that one-hundred dollar bill that was worth anything, it was the confidence you had in what backed those dollars." "Oh? And what was that?" "The institutions of the United States of America and the confidence people had in those institutions." "Evan," the newly-elected Emperor said, "I know you have a point to make." "The people of this ‘Empire’ do not have those types of institutions."

  "I thought that was what the Senate has been doing. You rebuilt D.C. You put together programs, government departments and offices, procedures and all that stuff."

  "Yes, but everything was overshadowed by the Emperor. Whatever rule we passed, he could veto. Even after we managed to have the final word on budget allocations, even then the Emperor held so much power that he truly controlled everything in the government."

  Dante chimed in, "Yeah man, let’s admit it. Trev didn’t really like all that stuff, that’s why he tried not to deal with it. But if something took his interest, then he could change things around whatever way he liked."

  Jon snapped, "Trevor was a great man. He made this from the ground up. Without him, we would have been lost. Wow, I mean you, Evan, you would have been dead a long time ago."

  Dante agreed, "Yeah, I would have been a part of The Order, so I know what you mean. He was my best friend, back in the day."

  Evan said, "I know that, Jon. Just because I argued with Trevor did not mean I didn't appreciate his accomplishments. Yes, he built us from the ground up. But now where are we, Jon? Trevor was mortal, like any other man. We knew-all those years we knew — that sooner or later he would be gone. In recent years, as he took to the battlefield again, we should have prepared for his end. Three years ago we had a glimpse of what could happen on this day, yet we failed to take adequate precautions. No one prepared, other than a procedure for electing a new, all-powerful leader."

  Jon grunted, but said nothing. Evan went on, "What you don’t understand is that I did not dislike Trevor. What I opposed was the idea of an Emperor. It does not matter if that Emperor be a good man or a bad one. What is happening out there, on the streets of our nation, only proves my point. I just wish it had not taken this tragedy for the truth to be revealed."

  Brewer walked to the balcony doors. A soft rain fell from low, fluffy clouds. A solitary beam of sunlight appeared over the lake, then disappeared, then appeared again but it could not chase away the dreariness.

  Dante said, "He makes sense, Jon. The whole thing has been depending on one guy; on Trevor being out in front. It was like one of those houses of cards. With him gone, it was going to fall apart. Now we have to pick up the pieces and not make the same mistakes."

  Jon thought about the stacks of papers he had found atop Trevor's desk; papers on subjects ranging from agricultural output to industrial capacity to drawing political boundaries in new territories. To his eye those papers resembled a complex equation from a discipline of math he had never studied that he was expected to decipher, decode, and correctly complete.

  "I didn’t want to be Emperor. I don’t even know how I won the vote."

  "That doesn’t matter now. The point is that the council placed their faith in you to make the right decisions. You have the power Trevor had, and if you don’t do something fast you’re going to have to build it all up from the ground again because it’s falling apart right now."

  Jon, still gazing out the doors, placed a finger on the glass and traced the slow streak of one tiny water drop. He spoke in a quiet, reflective voice.

  "Wow, things have changed. Dante can tell you, in the old world I was pretty much an arrogant ass. I thought I knew everything. I thought I was, in charge," he spoke those two words in a voice that mocked the very idea of him being in charge. "Then, when it all went to Hell, I…I dropped the ball. Wow, sure did. When… when the chips were down I showed that I wasn’t in charge at all. That I had no business being in charge. Then Trevor came along. He gave me direction again, and I found that there were still a few things I was pretty good at. Things I had the confidence to do."

  Evan encouraged, "You’re the best General in the military, Jon. Your accomplishments are extraordinary."

  "Yeah, buddy, Trevor came to rely on you. He trusted you."

  "That’s right," Jon agreed. "He trusted me to play my part. Then when he disappeared three years ago, I found myself in charge again. I found out that things hadn’t changed much. That I don’t have what it takes to be…to be at the top. Like I said, I didn’t want this."

  The rain drop slipped out of reach. Jon turned to face the two men.

  "So the question is, what do I do now? The economy is falling apart because I’m the Emperor. The people and businesses are afraid of what is going to happen with me in charge."

  "Jon," Evan consoled. "It’s falling apart because Trevor is gone yet there is still to be an Emperor. It wouldn’t matter if Dante, or Shepherd, or myself were in your shoes. As long as one man or, I guess, one position can overrule all the institutions then those institutions and rules and procedures don’t mean a thing. That causes instability. People don’t have anything to rely on, not the bus schedule, electricity, or even the enforcement of the laws that are on the books."

  "So what am I to do? I can resign this post. Have another vote and exclude myself."

  Dante jumped, "Whoever takes over will have the same problems. Jon, you said you didn’t want to be Emperor, right? You have the power to change whatever needs to be changed. Use it to change everything."

  Evan concurred with Dante, "You can set into motion a totally new form of government for The Empire. You can change us into a republic. Think back to the founding of America. George Washington won the Revolutionary War and was a beloved national figure. The politicians and the people were willing to hand him complete authority over the colonies, but he refused. He was elected President twice, but would not run for a third term because he felt that gave too much power to one man, a precedent that survived all the way up until FDR and then, after, the two-term limit was made a part of the Constitution because it was such a good idea."

  "You’re talking about things I know nothing about. I don’t know the first thing about political systems and governments. I’m a General. I know how to fight wars. This other stuff…it’s for someone else."

  "Point is," Evan focused, "sometimes the greatest leaders are those who give up power. That is what we need now, Jon. We need organization and institutions, not individuals. The people need to have faith and confidence in the government as a whole, not in a new Emperor. But right now, you are the Emperor and that gives you the power to do whatever needs to be done. Change the fundamentals of our nation and the economy will stabilize, the people will calm, and our nation will unite again."

  Dante said, "We have a lot of it already. We have judges that just have to be organized into a new judiciary branch. We already have a Senate, so you’ve got the legislative branch."

  "But the Emperor," Brewer conceded, "is not checked by those other branches. That needs to change. Is that what you’re saying? I’m not even sure how to do that."

  "Then find someone who can," Evan said. "I’ll help, but I understand if you don’t trust me. There are plenty of political experts out there who can guide you."

  "No," Jon spoke in a voice that sounded as if he had hit upon an idea. "I can’t do it. As long as there is someone with the title ‘Emperor’ then we’ll still have the same problem you just said. My first act as Emperor has to be the last act of any Emperor. This position has to cease to exist. I can go back to fighting the war and the people who know about this stuff can start building a new form of government."

  Dante said, "Well, yeah, that sounds right. But you can’t just have the Senators bickering about this. Someone has to lead. We need an election for, what, a President? That will take time. I don’t know if we have that kind of time with the way things are falling apart out there."

  Jon told them, "We already have an elected President; elected by the representatives of the people. You, Evan. We can morph your position into a new Executive Branch. From there, you can shape a new constitution and government through the Senate. You have friends in the trade unions and stuff, I got to figure you can use those connections to help calm things down."

  Evan acted surprised. "I don’t know what to say. There are those in the military and Trevor’s old circle who will oppose me gaining such a position."

  "You're already there," Jon said. "The only difference is ending the position of Emperor."

  Dante offered, "Evan can appoint people who were Trevor's friends as advisors, plus the Senate will provide a check, just like the old President. That's what this country used to have, so it will be familiar, people will take to it quick."

  Evan shook his head as if disappointed and said, "I’m afraid there is a certain amount of tension in regards to the military-intelligence complex. Many people fear the influence of this threat, real or imagined."

  "Then you appoint the right people," Jon said, "in visible jobs. People who are trusted for their independent thinking. Me? I want none of it."

  "Someone must command our armies. I can think of no one better than you."

  "But not visible," Jon told Evan in a voice that sounded relieved, "As long as I’m visible people might think I’m pulling the strings. Find the right people, Evan, and put together a new government."

  12. Commander and Chief

  Jon pointed to a reporter in the front row who said, "Jim Huffman, New American Press. So we're to believe that the military is just going to hand over control of the government?"

  Several beads of water collected on Huffman's glasses. Like half of the reporters in front of the mansion, he did not have an umbrella to combat the sudden sun shower. The VIPs-Brewer, Godfrey, and the rest-spoke from the mansion's covered front porch.

  Jon glanced at Evan who stood next to him at a bland podium. The President politely nodded as a signal that the General should respond. Indeed, the two came across as positively chummy on the porch that morning; a morning two days after Jon decided that the first thing he should do as Emperor was to end the existence of the Emperor's position.

  "Well, the military was never completely in control of the Government. Trevor focused on fighting the war, but he dealt with all aspects of running the nation. I think what's happening here is that we're getting better organized and trying to change over to a full-blown democracy. I feel this is the best way to go about things because there is no way myself or anyone could fill the shoes of Trevor Stone."

  Another reporter blurted, "Are you doing this because you're afraid of all the problems you faced three years ago?"

  Evan Godfrey marched to the microphone with focused eyes radiating indignation.

  "Jon Brewer has never been afraid of anything in his life. It takes courage to embrace change. It takes courage to plot a new direction for our great nation. Speaking for myself, I am humbled by his bravery in this."

  Evan then selected the next question from the press pool. The wind blew a curtain of drizzle across the stage.

  "Could you recap the major changes again? Is the new office of the President simply a new word for Emperor?"

  "Not at all," Evan smiled as if teaching simple children. "Jon felt that the easiest way to make the first steps toward change was to morph my position as President of the Senate into a new executive branch. His last batch of orders as Emperor made this official. As such, I have resigned my position as Senator. While we are still working out the finer details, we will use the old American presidency as the model. The legislative branch will have the responsibility of introducing legislation and the President will either veto or sign off on those bills."

  The reporter followed up, "Aren't you concerned that having a new 'President' without a constitution defining the position could lead to despotism? What checks exist on your power?"