One Good Soldier

the bombings of Hanoi. What of the 'Great Communicator' President Reagan during the many Cold War incidents with the Soviet Union? What of the father and son Bushes during their respective wars in the Middle East? How had they felt? How had William Jefferson Clinton handled the stress of dealing with the fighting in old Africa? How did the several presidents that followed during the Global War of Muslim Extremism deal with those troubles? And how had the many presidents to follow the 'Great Expansion' of humanity handled their various 'situations' of slow economies, overpopulation, civil unrest between colonies throughout the Sol System, and political infighting for territorial control? Alexander thought about the great men and women of history that must have stood in the very spot he was standing, thinking what he was thinking. He thought of how the great general and—Alexander laughed to himself at the thought—President Sienna Madira handled the Separatist Secession and the creation of the Reservation in the desert of the red planet. That crazy bitch probably had it all planned even back then, he thought. He wouldn't be surprised if she had caused it to happen to put her plans into motion.

The one thing those presidents didn't have to deal with was the fact that their daughter had been kidnapped by the leader of the enemy forces. And the leader of those enemy forces wasn't the estranged mother of the First Spouse. This goddamned mess has to fucking end, he thought to himself.

Yes, sir, his AIC agreed.

'Are you sure that Captain Boland made it through the QMT jump to the other side?' Sehera asked the courier.

'Yes, ma'am. There was no sensor evidence of his fighter on this side of the jump.'

'Only one place they could have gone, Mr. President,' the secretary of defense said. 'Tau Ceti.'

'Yes, I agree.' Moore ground his molars together so hard that it was audible. There was no way to know if his daughter was safe or not. That thought made veins bulge out and throb with each heartbeat. At least Boland and, amazingly, that CIA agent that had been presumed dead since the Luna City attack were there trying to get to her. But that just wasn't enough for Alexander. His face was red with the fiercest anger that he had felt in more than forty years.

'Alexander.' Sehera put a hand on his shoulder and spoke calmly to him. 'What do you think you are going to do?' Alexander could tell by the tone of her voice that she was being rhetorical.

'Thank you, Lieutenant, for this report. Send word back to the Madira that they absolutely must, and I mean must, carry this day to victory at Ross 128. We're going to send forward four more ships to help out. The Blair and the rest of the fleet are going to Tau Ceti to take that planet back. Lieutenant, you must tell Admiral Jefferson to expect no more help today and that he must under all costs be victorious. Good luck and Godspeed, son.'

'Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. President.' The Navy lieutenant saluted, and Moore promptly and sharply returned it.

'Alexander?' Sehera said again, not letting go of his shoulder. 'What are you planning to do?'

'Thomas!' Moore turned to his bodyguard, former AEM and longtime trusted friend. The man stood near the exit, blending into the woodwork.

'Yes, sir, Mr. President.' The Secret Service agent stepped forward.

'Get Mr. Kudaf and our suits and be prepared to move out in ten minutes. Have Air Force One ready to teleport us up with jaunt coordinates prepared for the Mars QMT gate.'

'Uh, Mr. President,' Thomas started to respond, but Moore cut him off quickly.

'No discussion.' Moore looked at Sehera and his bodyguard with that look that told them both that there was nothing they could do or say that was going to change his mind, so, they had just better get onboard and do what they could to help out.

'Mr. President?' the chairman of the Joint Chiefs interjected. 'I'm not sure what you're planning, sir, but I don't think you should actually be in the middle of it. It would put you at serious risk, sir.'

'Well, I am going. And that is that. Get the vice president in the White House in the event a transition needs to be made. Pick four supercarriers, get them loaded for war, and detach them immediately to the Ross 128 system. I want them QMTing in less than twenty minutes. Get Admiral, uh . . .' Moore was briefly at a loss. 'Get the CO of the