King of All I Survey
Chapter 120: Game Over

Chapter 120: Game Over

"I recommend we play it their way. Let’s see if they can separate the wheat from the chaff. Agreed?"

The Senate President nodded. His counterpart from the House looked at the Secretary of Defense slowly, then nodded his assent.

"All right, I’m making the call. Dial the number if you want to listen in on your phones. Let me do the talking."

We watched the scene on the display in the Status Room. Of course, we had a drone in the room with the Secretary of Defense.

A second later Joe announced, "Calls incoming. Connecting in three, two, one..."

"Hello, Mr. Secretary," I greeted him.

"Uh, hello, who am I speaking to?"

I chuckled aloud, "Nice try, Juan. I trust you’ve seen reports from your men on the scene?"

"Yes, not a single enemy weapon in either engagement fired. They tried, but they couldn’t get a single round off. Both forces have stopped forward progress for the moment. We play it your way. If you can split them off, we’ll take those who march north to meet us. Make sure they leave their weapons on the ground where they are now. Someone might get trigger happy if they see them coming in armed."

"Yes, that’s the plan. All right, I’ll call you back after I talk to them and we see their response. We can give you ETA to your position once they start moving."

"OK, We’ll hold position until you give us and update."

"Division 2 can move due south two miles while you’re waiting. That gives them enough head start to make sure they enemy doesn’t slip East along the border to Peru."

"Will do. That’s pretty rough terrain. Progress will be slow for everybody."

"Agreed. I’ll call you back."

Joe cut the connection. "Let me know when you’re ready, I’ve got 96 percent of the forces with phones, I’ll set every one to speaker so everyone gets to listen."

I grinned at the thought of thousands of cell phones ringing at once, then my voice ringing out over thousands of speakers as they all tried and failed to turn the speaker mode off.

"Ok, make the connection."

"Connected in two, one..."

"This is a one-way connection, don’t answer, just listen. You’re weapons are disabled, Both renegade divisions are completely disarmed. The situation is this: The Congress has impeached the President for Corruption and Dereliction of Duty for taking bribes from the cartels in exchange for various favors and protections. The evidence is clear and has already been made public for all to see. The commanders of your divisions are also named in the evidence as cartel stooges. That’s why they refused to accept the rightful orders of the Secretary of Defense and the Colombian Congressional Leaders. Some of you listening are guilty of the same crimes. Others, most of you, were just following orders from your chain of command. You may surrender and return to duty by dropping your weapons to the ground and marching north to meet divisions 4 and 5. You will be accepted back into service, as loyal members of the Colombian Army. Your commanders and their crooked officers are unarmed and outnumbered, they can’t stop you. If you do not drop your weapons and march north, Division 2 is coming toward you from the East. Their weapons are working perfectly. They will take you into custody as rebels and traitors. You will be tried and punished for desertion and treason. The choice is yours. Choose wisely. March north now and return to honorable duty serving your country, or face capture and trial for two capital offenses. Decide quickly, Division 2 will be here soon to put an end to this stupidity."

I motioned for Joe to close the connection. Thousands of phones when silent.

A voice rang out, amplified by the loudspeaker mounted on a command jeep. "We march South, we can make it to Ecuador before they catch up to us! Form up and move!"

Thousands of men heard the commanders of their divisions order them to move south to the border. To leave their country and in many cases their families behind. What would happen there? Was there some kind of deal waiting for them? Their commander was a criminal, the voice said. Treason was a capital offense. They’d be killed if they were caught.

These thoughts ran through the division, some men voiced them out loud, talking to the men around them, asking what they were going to do. Suddenly, A single unamplified voice rang out loudly from somewhere in the ranks. It was loud and clear, "Sir! Fuck you, Sir!" there was a pause for just one second, then laughter erupted from all around, the sound of guns hitting the ground and they were dropped or flung aside. Almost as one, the force started moving north. Less than a hundred men stood their ground looking around them in shock and confusion as their friends and colleagues disobeyed direct orders and marched away.

Fifteen miles away, the scene was similar. No one yelled back at their officers, there was no laughter, just a sullen silence. Still the majority of the force began sliding northward, their weapons lying on the ground. Maybe 70 percent of the enlisted men and NCOs walked away. Some of the officers joined them.

Back at the front of the Division, the commander held a microphone to his mouth to exhort his remaining followers to move south quickly. The loudspeakers didn’t relay his amplified voice. He looked angrily at the microphone in his hand. He tossed it down. "Let’s move!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, arm pointing south toward Ecuador. The jeep wouldn’t start, some time during the phone call, the engine had quit. In fact, every engine in every vehicle in their force had stalled out during the phone call and none of them would start now. He cursed and jumped out the jeep. He kicked the fender with the flat of his foot. "Onward!" He yelled, pointing to the south. He turned and started walking. His useless rifle slung over his shoulder. Watching his frustration and seeing the vehicles all disabled just like their weapons, hundreds more changed their minds and started walking north, weapons on the ground behind them.

In the end, only about fifteen percent of the original force followed this commander south.

My smile was huge as I watched. Game over! It worked. Now all we had to do was pick them at the border where the Ecuadorian forces were already arrayed against any potential incursion.