“Is that still your intention?” Snow continued.
“I’ve not made the final decision, Mr. President. I wanted to see General Connor firmly established in his position and the abrupt changes in the White House…”
“I understand. General Austin, I won’t put you through a long process wondering what’s going to happen. I would request that you defer your final retirement and continue to serve your country.”
“I serve at your pleasure, Mr. President.”
“However,” Snow said, “I would like your immediate resignation from the Central Intelligence Agency.”
Pug quickly shifted his gaze to Austin, who continued to hold eye contact with President Snow.
“As I said, sir, I serve at your pleasure. You will have my resignation on your desk this afternoon,” General Austin said, his voice a bit more formal.
“And then I would like you to take a few days off and go out to Wyoming to spend some time in discussions with former Secretary of Homeland Security, Anthony Weyland. You know Secretary Weyland, of course?”
Austin tilted his head slightly in a questioning mannerism. “Yes, sir. We worked very closely together for several years while he was National Security Advisor to President Eastman.”
“So I understand. Again, General, it’s not my intention to keep you in the dark. If you serve at my pleasure, as you’ve indicated, then I would like to obtain your approval to put forth your name as my nominee to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security. Secretary Weyland can bring you up to speed on the nomination hearings.”
“Mr. President, I-”
Snow held up his hand. “Take this afternoon to think about the issue and we can talk again tomorrow or the next day. I’m moving very fast on these cabinet appointments, with President Steadman’s advice and support, I might add. You come highly recommended by Steadman and Prescott, for that matter. And,” he said, looking toward Pug, “General Austin, as Secretary of Homeland Security, would continue to be your boss, Pug. Although, as President Prescott has advised, I reserve the right to meet with you and, if I determine necessary, provide direction. Is that suitable to you, General Austin?”
“That would not present a problem, Mr. President. May I assume I would be advised of General Connor’s operational orders if they were to come directly from this office?”
“Of course,” the president replied. “Effective immediately, consider that Trojan will remain operational. I’ll have a memo to that effect delivered to you shortly to enable you to continue to work with the military assets you require. I don’t want the Pentagon assuming-or hoping — that you’ve been shut down. I informed Admiral Barrington of that yesterday.
“Pug, I want you to continue to develop the format and mission parameters, and complete your staffing selection. If my intelligence overview is correct, your task force will be needed, and sooner than we would like. Run your written plans past General Austin for his concurrence and then forward them to me. Let’s say, thirty days hence.”
“Yes, sir,” Pug replied.
“General Austin, we still have the secession issue out west. You and General Connor are the most familiar with that problem, so Trojan will continue to assume lead responsibilities on the military repercussions of that issue. We can discuss this further at a later date, but my objective is to retain California as part of our family of states, but I do not, I repeat, do not want to use military force to achieve that objective. Are there any questions, gentlemen?”
Pug deferred as Austin spoke first. “It may not be possible to place a damper on the political actions moving forward. The momentum seems insurmountable without military action, which I agree, is absolutely the last thing we should consider. But, absent political or economic pressure, this secession just may become a reality.”
“I understand that, General. I hope not, truly, but a military intervention is not morally acceptable. To free the slaves was one thing. To force Californians to follow Washington’s lead is another. But I’d like you both to think about it and see what can be done.”
The president stood and both men rose. “Pug, it’s great to see you again. Congratulations on your promotion and Trojan’s future. I look forward to working with you.”
“Thank you for your confidence, Mr. President,” Pug replied.
“I’ll advise Admiral Barrington of this discussion to confirm that he knows Trojan will remain operative and authorized to call on military resources. By the way, General Austin, the admiral was in complete agreement with your selection as Secretary of Homeland Security. Actually, I haven’t spoken with anyone who opposes the move, but I’ve kept the idea pretty closely held so far. That will change next week. We’ll announce your nomination, along with several others, next Monday in the Rose Garden.”
“Yes, sir,” Austin said. “I’m certain you’ll find some opposition at that point in time.”
“We’ll handle the opposition. Well, then, I think that will be all for this initial meeting. Thank you both for coming. General, would you mind if I spoke alone with Pug for a brief moment before he leaves? I’d like him to update me on his parents. ”
“Certainly, Mr. President. Pug, I’ll meet you over in your office, and you can take me to lunch.”
“”Why don’t you go to the White House cafeteria? Tell them it’s on my account,” the president said.
“Thank you, Mr. President. I thought I was coming to a pleasant meeting with the president this morning, and in less than thirty minutes, I’ve lost my current job and added another four years to my working life. My wife is not going to be pleased about that. She was looking forward to a few round-the-world cruises,” he said.
Again, the president laughed. “General Austin, have her call my wife. She’s not happy either, I can assure you.”
President William Snow motioned for Pug to be seated again, then he began to speak. “Pug, General Austin seems a fine man. I can see why you’ve enjoyed working with him these past years. As for you and me, it would seem we’ve just developed a very different relationship. Who would have thought it those long years ago? Are you pleased with your ability to stay with Trojan?”
“Sir, the assignment presents a rather formidable challenge, but I’ve discovered that I actually enjoy such opportunity. However, I’m a serving Marine officer, and I go where I’m assigned. In some respects, I’d rather be back in the field, commanding Marines.”
“Yes.” Snow smiled again. “President Prescott mentioned that as well. That goes for most of the young men who comprise Trojan, doesn’t it? You’re all warriors at heart. How did that happen, Pug? The transition, I mean. When you were in high school, you wanted to be a veterinarian, if I recall.”
Pug leaned back in his chair and smiled. “Wouldn’t that have been good? Sir,” he said, shaking his head slowly, “the change just sort of happened. Probably was assured when my spur-of-the-moment application to the Naval Academy was accepted. I loved my time at the Academy and I love the Marines. But I’ve asked myself that question many times over the years-how did I become something I never thought about growing up? I can’t answer it to my own satisfaction, Mr. President,” Pug said. “I know I was caught up in the prestige of being accepted at the Academy. That decision assured the military component. Then after I was married, Cheryl had problems with who I became, as you probably know. That was the primary source of the difficulty leading to our divorce in ’01. You knew Cheryl Watkins, didn’t you? Her father owned the Ford dealership in Mesa. Well, once we were married, I was just gone on deployment too long and too often, I guess. That wasn’t what Cheryl had bargained for, and it certainly wasn’t her fault. We never had children, and I guess in retrospect that’s a blessing.”
“Scott told me about your divorce. I’m sorry, Pug, truly sorry.”
“No sorrier than I am, Mr. President. But as I say, it was my own fault. It’s almost like I had two angels on my shoulder, one saying ‘ be a good person,’ and the other one saying, ‘ kick his ass. Kill him.’”