Chapter 83

1730 hours, local time
Friday, 31 October, 2014
The Chancellery Complex
The City or Haven, Province of Oregon
The Commonwealth of Haven

“So, essentially, you plan to fly yourself around Idaho and preach the good news that I am the true Messiah and I have arrived in these perilous times to unite the world under my benevolent authority. You also intend to slut your way through as many people as you can in the process, as well as matching people in groups of a certain size ... plural or communal marriages, right? You plan to encourage total promiscuity among the population and smite all evildoers with death, thus literally putting the fear of God in the wicked,” I clarified Sydney’s plan for the record just after the roughly hour long orgy ended.

“Pretty much, honey. Any thoughts?” Sydney winked at me and at Adam, having been intimate with both of us by now.

“I like it. Just avoid all tribal territories and any areas under de facto Mormon control. I will effectively cede those parts of Idaho for now, though I reserve the right to take them later. We will essentially partition the state between three factions: Haven, First Nations, and the future Mormon ecclesiastical state. The dissolution of the state is already a fait accomplis, a fact accomplished. We might as well as acknowledge that unfortunate reality,” I stipulated, even as I reviewed the additional news, such as Oxheart’s forces taking Martha’s Vineyard.

That was going to be a brutal business, I thought to myself, even as I read that Maryland and Delaware were prepared to recognize each other’s governments on an official basis. Chairman Xavier Price of Maryland and Chairman Beau Biden of Delaware had signed a formal accord in Baltimore to that effect. I showed this to Adam Clarke, who I knew deserved significant credit for helping create the foundations for a provisional state government in the Old Line State. He beamed with pride, as well he should, and slipped me a note that some of his spouses were from Maryland and would be pleased at the news.

“What about the militiamen?” I probed Sydney.

“Seduce and convert them ... then you automatically inherit said militias, right?” Sydney replied with a playful smile while lying on a bed quite naked, “or smite them if they get nasty. I am an angel now, after all.”

“So, that’s settled, then. What else is going on?” Cherry spoke up while trying to keep her eyes off so much flesh so as to focus better.

“Syracuse continues to hold out against the forces of New Netherland, but civilians are already fleeing the place and several sectors have been captured by that prick Powerball’s army. It’s really just a matter of time before Syracuse falls and most people have realized this by now. The refugees will soon go from a trickle to a flood as the noose tightens on that community.

“The United Alliance has opened the initial peace talks with the Democratic Republic of Sonora and Aztlan, with the apparent understanding that Roswell will remain the integral territory of the latter. Both sides are also discussing their borders and other outstanding issues with the indigenous nations and tribes in New Mexico. They are both also beginning some negotiations with the cartels, even if informal for now.

“Speaking of the cartels, their grip on Mexico is tightening, even as they are busy purging the country of any undesirable people, such as Marxists, feminists, and other leftist types. Any former prosecutors who still oppose them are shot or banished as well. They are presently attacking Acapulco now that Cancun and Tampico have fallen. After that, we have to presume that they will ruthlessly attack Veracruz and almost certainly capture it in three to four months at the outside.

“Then they will focus on suppressing the last holdouts in Chiapas from the leftist Zapatista Liberation Army. The old political parties are being eradicated and plans are being made to create some kind of Provisional Government in Monterey for now. This likely will be dominated by puppet politicians of controlled political parties. New Jersey’s Mafia regime has shown criminal enterprises the way forward, after all, with the Garden State Alliance and all that jazz.

“Carson City has officially joined Reno and several other cities and towns in Nevada to form a bloc called the Northern Nevada Association, or NNA for short. This is obviously intended to resist any further encroachment by Las Vegas into central Nevada, as Reno and Las Vegas are still rivals for the allegiance of that part of the state. They have already agreed to send a delegation to Haven to commence negotiations over any kind of alliance or cooperation between us and them,” Marcy informed us next.

“We’ll conduct our discussions with them on the basis of mutual respect for each other’s sovereignty, at least for now. How long Reno and its client cities can continue against such pressures on all sides, with just a third of a desert state, well, that’s highly in doubt, but we will humor them for the present. Cherry, as Commissar of Foreign Affairs, you will be in charge of the negotiating process. Stephanie, you will handle the California annexation talks, since they are still independent for the moment.

“Adam, you were recently in Carson City for a brief stay. You will attend the discussions in the capacity of a consultant or advisor to Cherry and will provide any useful intelligence that you can on that and other situations. I expect you to present me with a report on any information about such places as you visited in the past, since you won’t be around here to advise me in the long run.

“What else is happening that I need to know before I prepare for my nocturnal festivities? Any additional news updates beyond what limited data the media can provide us? I am very eager for anything else, naturally. Feel free to disclose your reports,” I encouraged others to continue briefing me.

“The Salvation Army has launched an invasion of Connecticut, which given how relatively divided that state is, it’s poorly prepared to defend against such an enemy. Three divisions so far have entered that state, but that will probably suffice, all factors considered. Whatever their faults, the Salvation Army is highly disciplined and organized, too. They might be a church, but they are also an army in every sense of the word nowadays. It’s very unlikely that the local communities can hold out very long at all,” Marcy continued now.

“So, it is very likely that New Netherland will soon border whatever theocratic state the Salvation Army creates. Have you noticed the rise in theocracies of late? Maybe it’s a reaction to Doomsday, caused by the fear of divine wrath and judgment. Well, any catharsis is prone to make some folks grow more pious or even zealous ... fanatical in some cases. Any other news?” I contemplated next.