Published: 29 May 2014

Acknowledgements

Paul Cormier: For the idea of such an adventure Dr. Robert Vallier, Ph.D.: His input on the construction of this story made it possible.

Dedication

This story is dedicated to the memory of Colonel Richard Dagget O’Donnel, United States Marine Corps 1937 – 2009 A wonderful friend from my own childhood This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This story may not be copied by any means without my express written permission.

AFTER CRASH

PROLOGUE

It was becoming apparent that things were coming to a head. The government entered into a massive welfare and social reengineering program and, at our urging, our neighbor to the North, The Dominion of Canada, embarked upon the same program. In order to support such an endeavor, both countries began borrowing massive amounts of money, from China principally. The staggering magnitude of the borrowing dried up credit worldwide, creating bankruptcy for many smaller nations. Those nations were unable to repay their debts and their governments collapsed. In order that they might bring stability out of the chaos, The Chinese Government demanded payment on our country’s debt, which they were unable to pay. Likewise, Canada was unable to repay any of their loans. When this became known, a run on the banks in both countries dried up all available cash and payrolls, bills and operating funds disappeared, there simply was no money to be had. At one point, just before the collapse, gasoline was going for $65.00 a gallon, any grade! Within a week, nothing was moving in all of North America, food stores were being looted and anarchy prevailed. Both governments were paralyzed, electric power had gone off and the only organizations that were mobile were the military and they began to operate without governmental oversight in whatever manner they thought best. Freedom was lost! Slowly, civilization began to struggle back. Peter and Henry fostered that resurrection in Colony and eventually became the first leaders of a reclaimed Canada. Tragically, at the end of their term in office Henry suffered a massive heart attack and died. His mate, Peter, lost in his sorrow, returned to the place they had made, COLONY. There he remained; storyteller, Grandfather, comforter, and advisor to all in need. His death, at the age of 87 years, was marked by the sorrow of an entire nation. He left his sons and grandsons to carry on what he and Henry had begun, freedom and justice for all.

Chapter 1 – BEAR FOR PRESIDENT

The presidency of the restructured Dominion of Canada was tottering on the brink of failure. A succession of weak administrations had allowed the hated Elders to regroup and become respectable.

Those demons, who in the name of God, would enslave the people and turn our beloved nation into a charnel house of bigotry and serfdom were gaining the upper hand again!

Only one man retained sufficient national stature to hold back the tide of religious terrorism, bigotry and hate, General Bear, retired.

Bear had survived the hardship years at the feet of FATHER-CHIEFS Henry and Peter, he had commanded the National Army during the Wars of Restoration, and later, he commanded the National Guard that had protected the nation from all dangers in the years since the Restoration.

Now retired and an old man, his most fervent desire was to cuddle his Great Grandchildren. He was doing just that when his Brother, Grand Shaman Fox mind-sent him, “Brother, I come bearing great trouble!”

Almost instantly, Bear’s other surviving brothers gathered about him, the twins, Ricardo and Rodrigo, Bobby and Jacob and his nephew, Sky Whistle, assumed guard at his side. That each of them was powerful a mind speaker was common knowledge and Bear had always believed they had other powers also, that they did not advertise.

Fox entered the room, accompanied by two men, whom Bear knew as brothers and close friends, Lion and Panther. They had all survived the years of hardship, the toil of battle and the heartache of losing those whom they had all vowed to love and protect!

Bear had been their leader when they all had been young and they, like himself, were old now and longed to sit by the fireside and tell stories to their grandchildren.

Panther began, “Bear, my Brother, my War Chief, we need you yet again. The foul Elders are about to gain the Presidency.” He paused for a moment, then, he continued, “You, Brother, and only you have the stature to defeat them. You MUST enter the race for the Presidency! Either I or Fox will run as your Vice President!”

Sky Whistle stepped forward saying, “No Uncle, I will run as Vice President! I will support MY Uncle Bear!” Sky had always kept his mind powers hidden, but Bear had always suspected that he was the most powerful of the lot of them. They spent the remainder of the day planning the political campaign.

Thus began a national campaign to reclaim the legitimacy of all they had suffered for, FREEDOM! It was going to be a bitter, uphill battle against a well-funded and powerful foe.

Bear mounted the campaign trail with the vigor of his youth, traveling back and forth through the huge country, always with Sky Whistle at his side. Everywhere they went, they were met by veterans of the Freedom Wars, many of them joining his campaign party.

The Elders fought back with lies and vicious smears, claiming Bear was an evil magician practicing the forbidden black arts and mind-speak! That he was anti-God and even that he was the Anti-Christ! And, finally, they accused him of crimes against children.

When they invented false stories that he had participated in child slavery and had even owned slaves; that was too much; the women whom he had helped rescue as child sex slaves during a fiery airplane crash, rose up as one group and loudly challenged the charges the Elders were throwing around!

The women marched on the Capital in Ottawa and demanded to be heard by the National Assembly! There, they charged the Elders with being behind the slavery rings and described how the Elders had held courts to decide which children were to be enslaved. They told of how the Elders had abused them and made sex slaves out of the young girls. They described the Death Camps and awful prisons the Elders had maintained to support their disgusting pleasures.

That final revelation finished the political ambitions of the Elders, never again would they be able to claim political power or moral supremacy. All they had left was sabotage and intrigue to work their dirty deals.

The damage they had done, over the years to the country was enormous; their members had infiltrated the government at all levels, where they could damage the economy and even topple the government. It was widely believed that they were siphoning off vast amounts of funds for their own purposes.

Bear and Sky Whistle won the election unopposed, but they inherited an entrenched government bureaucracy riddled with the rot of Elder bigotry, dedicated to the downfall of freedom! The Treasury had been looted and the Government was broke.

The night after Bear and Sky Whistle had been sworn into office, the two were working late when they heard a noise outside the door to the Executive Mansion Office. As Bear looked up, two armed men burst into the room, pointing guns at them.

Before Bear could react, Sky Whistle moved so rapidly, he was just a blur, he brought his fist down upon the first intruder’s arm, breaking it and on the return swing he then punched the chest of the other assailant, killing him outright!

Bear sat down, shaking and thinking, “Do I dare ask?” He heard a chuckle in his mind, “You can ask anything of me, Uncle Bear!” Bear turned to face Sky Whistle, “You…?”

Sky Whistle replied, “Yes Uncle, that and much more. Be not afraid, I and my Brothers are still human; we just have a little bit extra and we intend on using it to root out the Elders, once and for all time.” “Please, just call me Sky, we are equals.” He pleaded.

Bear sat there thinking and again he heard in his mind, “Uncle, do not fear us, we are as human as you. In fact, you also have some of these abilities; otherwise you would not hear me!” Bear suddenly smiled, “MIND-SPEAKERS!” he shouted.

Sky grinned from ear to ear, “YUP!”

Far off, in his memories, Bear remembered two twin boys, Ricardo and Rodrigo! Suddenly he was assaulted with laughter in his mind, “We thought you had forgotten us, Uncle Bear!” Bear stammered, “How…..?”

Sky laughed, “Oh, they are still in Colony, but they are as close as a simple thought!” Sky gently led his slightly pole-axed, elderly uncle up the stairs to his bed room; he had suffered quite enough surprises for one day!

As the old man lay on his bed, waiting for sleep to take him, he thought, “I NEED those two boys, Ricardo and Rodrigo, at my side.” Suddenly, he heard, “Uncle Bear, we will take the morning train to Ottawa, look for us around lunch; we LOVE hamburgers and fries!”

Bear grinned to himself, “I could get used to this!” as he fell into a deep, restoring sleep.

The next morning, he found Sky sitting in a chair beside his bed, waiting for him to waken. Sky said, “Uncle, the Twins arrive at noon today….”

Bear interrupted him, “Mind-speak, huh?”

Sky grinned, “You catch on fast, Unc!”

Bear had a plan already taking shape; he was going to weed the hated Elders out of his government once and for all, putting a final end to them! He could feel his Nephew, Sky, chuckling in the back of his mind and he knew that he had the backing of his family.

SOME PRESIDENTIAL HOUSECLEANING

Bear and Sky met the noon train as it came to a stop at Ottawa Station. The two twins came bounding down the steps of the passenger car and leaped into their Uncle’s waiting embrace. Bear was reminded just how much he loved those boys and wondered if they were the same impetuous boys he remembered them to be.

He tried an experiment, he thought in his mind, “Boys, are your gifts the same as those of Sky?” He heard immediately, “Pretty much the same, except we have greater range than Sky, but he can move faster than we can!” We can communicate all across the nation, would you like to speak to someone in Vancouver?”

Bear looked at the three young men appraisingly and said, “Lunch first, then WORK!” The four of them ate lunch in the private room at the Capital Dining Room, Bear’s security force kept all others out.

Ricardo leaned into his Uncle as if to hug him and whispered in his ear, “Two of those men in the security group plot to kill you!” Bear looked at his nephews and thought, “Can you take them?” Sky grinned and sent back, “Done and done!”

Sky sent, “Cousins, let us move …… NOW!” The three jumped up and pinned two security agents to the wall, all three snarling their rage at the traitors. Bear tried mind sending to his friend, Lion, asking for assistance. Within minutes, additional security, sent by General Lion, Army Chief of Staff, arrived and the two traitors were led off in hand cuffs and leg irons!

Bear marveled that he had been able to call for help using only his mind. He had known that the boys had powers he did not understand, but he had never thought himself capable of such feats.

Sky mind-screamed, “Uncle Lion, replace all Presidential Security with your own trusted men!” Bear heard, “At once, Sky! Please remain where you are until they arrive.” Bear was becoming somewhat dizzy at all the mental activity going on around him until he realized that it was just like voices in a busy office, all he had to do was “tune them out”.

A few minutes later, Major General Basil Jones, a Warrior Chieftain from the early days of the Wars of the Restoration, reported to the New President, “Sir, these twelve soldiers will be your security force on a permanent basis.” He added by mind-speech, “They are all mind-speakers, you need only to mind-send your needs and they will respond!”

Bear welcomed the soldiers warmly, shaking each of their hands and mentally thanking each one of them for their service to him and their country. He had a warm feeling in his heart when they all responded with promises that they would protect him from any and all dangers.

The young Army Captain Brinks was in awe of this historic man and was made giddy when Bear mind-sent to him, “Captain, I am just like you, I put my trousers on, one leg at a time!” The Captain replied, “No sir, not just like me, you are BEAR!” Bear could feel the young man’s awe and fear that he was not good enough to protect Bear.

Bear wrapped his arms around the young Officer and gave him a hug. He spoke to him mentally, enjoying this new sensation, and told him that he was proud to have him as a protector.

The man began to cry, “Sir, you were my hero growing up. I was a hungry, dirty orphan child when you brought food to us. Your men brought me to Colony, they fed me, they clothed me and gave me a place all my own to sleep. They sent me to school and made me what I am today.” He then broke down completely, when he had recovered, he said, “General Bear, sir, my men have been with me since our childhood, we were all orphans in that terrible place. On our own lives and honor, no hurt shall come to you!” These are men, who were boys with me in that orphanage and I trust them with my life and my honor!

He then turned to his men and introduced each to President Bear. Each soldier mind-sent to Bear and Sky, “Upon my soul and my Sacred Honor, I shall keep you safe, so help me God!”

Over the next several weeks, Bear, Sky and their Army Security Group went through every government office in the Capital, weeding out the Elder sympathizers! Captain Brinks was at his side through every step in cleansing the Government of Elder Trash.

When they found actual Elder members, they were sent directly to prison to await trial. The worst “infestation” was in the Department of Agriculture and also in the Department of Social Welfare. Huge amounts of food had been shipped “somewhere” and it was going to take many weeks, if ever, to discover where!

Likewise, they discovered secret prisons where young children, who supposedly had died, were being sent! This was where much of the food that had been stolen was going, but not to the children, only their guards ate well.

Bear was so angry, he inadvertently MIND-SCREAMED HIS RAGE! Almost instantly General Basil Jones and Captain Brinks responded and were at his side, with their side arms drawn, ready to do battle!

Even before General Jones could react, Captain Brinks had dispatched his men to arrest all those involved in child slavery, his orders were, “If they resist, shoot them!”

General Jones sent, “Captain Brinks, call out the entire Security Battalion, my authorization! YOU are in command, Major Brinks!” Bear looked at the now Major Brinks and thought, “You are a speed mover like Sky, aren’t you?”

Major Brinks grinned and sent, “Yes sir and I am also a levitator!” When I lift an Elder, it is all over, he will not survive his return to the ground!

All that night, the sounds of heavy trucks moving around the Capital City were heard and by morning, many government offices were empty! New people were arriving to man the offices, they were all mind-speakers and they greeted President Bear before they took command of their offices and began cleaning house.

Much of the purloined food was never recovered but more than ten thousand boys and girls under the age of twelve were saved from slavery, or, perhaps, even a worse fate as they told tales of some of them being shipped to a destination in the Caribbean!

Sadly, many of the children’s parents did NOT want their children returned, saying that they were better off dead! Bear’s anger was monumental and his anger made mental cripples out of more than a few “reluctant parents”.

Sky immediately mind-called his Uncle, Grand Shaman Fox and, by the next morning, the entire capital was flooded with angry ATA NATION-WARRIORS! Those warriors and their Shamans cuddled and carried more than eight thousand children, taking them all back to Colony with them for a new life. No child was left to wander the streets, unwanted, unloved, hungry and forgotten!

The next day, Colony National Assemblyman Jacob Ammons, mate of Grand Shaman Fox, introduced legislation making it a felonious crime to abandon a child!

Bear sent Security Teams throughout the country, weeding out traitors from every government office and facility. He was determined to stamp out the Elder infestation once and for all time! By the time the Security Teams had reached the Provincial Governments, the Elder trash had already cut and run. Bear was sure they had missed a few, but, by and large, they were Elder free!

He also had posters printed and distributed throughout the nation telling all people, children, teens and adults alike, that his office was open to them 24 hours a day, EVERY DAY! Major Brinks posted a team of powerful mind speakers to attend Bear’s Office and to assist Bear in helping anyone needing assistance.

It became commonplace to find the President of Canada sitting at his desk with a crying child on his lap or a frightened teen being hugged by him! He had asked them to come to him and they did, by the thousands!

President Bear and his Security Team would walk the streets of every major city in Canada, collecting those who had no home and bringing them to Colony for care. People began calling him the Grandfather President!

INVASION

The operation of the government soon settled down to routine, the nation was orderly and few had reason to complain. A huge new Children’s Care Facility was constructed at Colony as was a new wing to the hospital.

Another oil field and refinery was restored to service and once again, private automobiles were seen on the roads. Electricity was slowly restored throughout the country. In the past the Elders had restricted electric power to their own homes and places, leaving the population to get by with candles and oil lamps.

High speed rail service between the major cities and both coasts was restored, making travel and freight available throughout the nation. The system of passes, countersigned by a Ruling Elder was dispensed with, anyone could purchase a ticket and children under the age of fifteen rode free.

Diplomatic relations were opened between the several countries in North America. The old United States had become three separate nations and Mexico had separated into two countries. The flow of trade resumed at a rapid pace as raw materials were sent south and manufactured goods were returned.

There were a few minor disputes, but no dispute so severe that reasonable folk could not resolve peacefully across a meeting room table. A minor spat over fishing rights on the West Coast was resolved by the fishermen themselves without the need of any diplomatic intervention!

A great Festival was planned in Victoria, celebrating the reopening of regular ferry service from Seattle. Bear and Sky Whistle boarded the express train to attend the celebration in the far west of the country. Unknown to Bear, although he suspected it, Major Brinks had assigned an entire platoon of trusted soldiers to protect him on this trip.

They were met in every city along the way with bands and banners celebrating the new peace and prosperity of the country. By the time they arrived in Vancouver, Bear was sure he had calluses on his hand from shaking hands with everyone in greetings!

Bear and Sky had just sat down to the Grand Banquet in Victoria when suddenly his mind exploded with an emergency mind-scream from Lion, in meld with Panther, “Foreign Warships have entered the St. Lawrence Seaway and have blockaded our ports!”

Instantly Sky was at his side and Major Brinks, with all his Security Detail surrounded them with guns drawn, all pointed outwards! The platoon the Major thought secret from Bear was out in the open and President Bear showed no surprise!

Bear reached for Sky to go into meld, “Panther, call up the National Guard and Naval Reserve. Ready our ships, Sky and I will return non-stop!”

The two men ran from the room and headed for the train station, their Security Team frantically racing after them. Major Brinks had mind-sent to the station master to ready an express train to Ottawa and to clear the tracks of all traffic!

They jumped aboard the single passenger car attached to the simmering engine and the train left the station immediately in a shower of sparks as the engine’s drive wheels grabbed at the rails to get traction. They left the train yard with the engine’s throttle wide open against the stops, leaving a trail of soot and sparks to fall to the ground along the tracks.

Thus began a race to again save the nation.

Eastward the train raced, the fireman pressing oil into the fiery furnace to keep up steam pressure. The engine’s throttle was at maximum open, sparks showered off the drive wheels as the engineer struggled to maintain the greatest possible track speed! He was dumping traction sand at an enormous rate and would have to refill the bin at every fueling stop.

The engine crew refused to be relieved at every stop to take on more fuel and water; they were going to get THEIR PRESIDENT to Ottawa in record time! They succeeded; the cross country dash broke several, long standing records!

The engine’s drive wheels would need replacing by the time they reached Ottawa!

By the time they arrived at the Capital City, Panther had assembled twenty thousand Warrior Soldiers and ten thousand Warrior Sailors! The fleet had steam pressure up and Warrior Soldiers were being loaded aboard the Troop Transport Ships as Bear and Sky ran to the car waiting for them at the train station.

Sky turned to Bear and sent, “Uncle Bear, I shall accompany the fleet, you must stay here and keep our people from fright and the government stable. The Elders will surely try to take advantage of this crisis!”

At that, Sky raced the length of the pier, mind-screaming for the Captain to get the ship underway! Barely had he cleared the gangway when it was raised and the huge Heavy Cruiser, CS Peter, lunged from the pier, its sister ship, the CS Henry following in its wake!

Black smoke roiled from the stacks as the great ships struggled to gain speed, their huge propellers churning the lake water to a foamy froth as they drove the mighty war ships forward.

The Destroyer Flotilla followed them as they all raced for the Seaway at maximum speed, maintaining a screen to protect the capital ships. Major Brinks assigned a young Cadet Lieutenant, Johnny Brinks, his own nephew to ride the lead destroyer, reaching out with his own mind to identify any danger to the fleet.

After seeing the ships sail, Bear returned to his office to work on the never ending pile of paperwork. Major Brinks knocked on his door with a huge grin on his face, saying, “You have a visitor, sir.”

A teen boy, about 16 years old marched in, wearing a camouflage uniform, a rifle slung over his shoulder and a pistol hanging prominently from his waist. Both weapons looked well used and the young man carried them with familiar ease.

He stopped before Bear’s desk and snapped a precise salute, “SIR, Cadet Captain Robert Brinks, Colony Militia reporting for duty, SIR!” Bear raised his eyes to the Major, who smiled and said, “My Oldest son, Sir!”

Bear returned the boy’s salute and ordered him to stand “at ease”. Bear said, “Well Captain, are those arms loaded?” The boy replied, “Sir, YES SIR, they are loaded!” He continued, “I have one hundred and seventy five Colony Militia Cadets outside, waiting for your inspection, SIR!”

Major Brinks smirked as he added, “Mr. President, their arms are loaded, also!”

Bear stood and accompanied the young Cadet Officer outside, where three companies of young Cadet Soldiers stood at rigid attention. The Cadet Captain shouted, “Battalion…. Prepare for inspection!” Immediately, three Cadet First Lieutenants ordered, “Open ranks, MARCH!”

As soon as that order had been executed, the Cadet Captain said, “SIR, Colony Militia, Cadet Battalion, ready for inspection, SIR!” Bear inspected the troops, asking questions of many of them. He was amazed at their clear and concise answers and obvious knowledge. They handled their firearms like experienced soldiers and obviously knew how to use them!

When he had completed the inspection, Bear told the Cadet Captain to put his men “at ease”.

Bear said, “Men, I have just learned (he had received a mind-speak from Rodrigo) that Colony has sent you to assist us during this time of National Emergency. Therefore, use you we most certainly will.” I am grateful of your arrival in our time of desperation!

He turned to their young Commanding Officer and said, “Captain, establish an orderly room in my outer office, post guards in all the hallways and also at the front and back doors of the building. This is to be a 24/7 assignment until further notice.”

As he walked back to the Executive Mansion, he heard the Cadet Captain giving out assignments with professional military precision!

He sent to the boy’s Father, “You have a mighty son in that young man; I sense great things in him!” Major Brinks grinned and told him that two more Brinks’ boys were in the ranks!

Bear replied, “Yes, and I have already met your nephew, Johnny Brinks and was mightily impressed with him.

The Cadets performed their duties with perfection, several persons posing as messengers were apprehended and nobody got beyond the Orderly Room without being inspected and vetted. Soon, snide remarks about children playing soldier were replaced with praise and respect!

Meanwhile, the Naval Task Force sailed towards the Seaway; all the fishing boats had scurried to a safe harbor as soon as the strange ships had appeared, so all ships were assumed to be hostile. They flew no national flag and all were believed to be pirates.

They were! They were pirates of the very worst kind, SLAVERS!

The Canadian Naval Ships carried a full war load of weapons and Sky, acting as Fleet Commodore, ordered the ships to engage, releasing all restrictions on weapons to the judgment of each ship captain! Gun turrets began rotating immediately and were trained on the invading ships. There were twelve ships in the invading fleet, including two old sailing ships that looked as if they had come from a museum!

The Heavy Cruisers, CS Peter and CS Henry began lobbing high explosive shells on the invaders. Both wooden sailing ships burst into flames before exploding. It was obvious they were carrying loads of high explosives.

The other ships tried to turn and run, but the Canadian Fleet was upon them before they could escape. Only one invading ship managed to surrender, all others were sunk within minutes of engagement. The water was full of sailors struggling to keep themselves from drowning in the frigid lake water.

They learned, through interrogation of the survivors, that they were indeed pirates, based in Haiti. They had been “invited” by the Elders and had been promised easy pickings from among the Canadian people, to be sold! The pirates admitted that they had intended on selling Canadians as slaves in the slave markets of the Caribbean!

It was all Sky could manage to prevent angry Captains AND Crews from invading and taking revenge upon those unhappy islands directly! Guards had to be posted to prevent angry crews from strangling the pirates with their bare hands. The pirate crews were very quiet and meek in their cells.

POSTING THE GUARD

The fleet returned victorious, but Bear could sense worry and concern among his staff. Those on his staff had been fighting the hated Elders for a generation and they knew beyond any doubt, that they were not finished with them, even yet.

In careful questioning, Bear found that everyone felt more secure with the Militia Cadets on duty rather than the regular Army! The staff felt the regular Army had already been subverted once and would always be suspect and they feared the Cadets would be sent back to Colony to resume their studies.

After conferring with his top military advisors and with Major Brinks, they reached a solution. Each company of Cadets would spend two months in rotation, manning the orderly room and guarding the hallways.

There remained one more Company of Cadets at Colony, so, by using four companies, each would serve only two months every eight months! With vacations and holidays, they would miss only one school month each year.

The cadets were to be paid regular Army pay while on duty and time spent would count towards Army advancement should they wish to make the Army a career after high school or university graduation! Most of them did and were eager to serve.

Every boy signed up and they also invited girls to join. It became common to see soldiers as young as fifteen standing guard in the hallway, holding a rifle. There was no question in anyone’s mind that those Cadets knew how to use that rifle and they would have no hesitation in doing so. The few subversives who attempted to enter the Presidential Offices were so full of holes, interrogation was useless.

It was so successful a program, other governmental agencies asked for Cadet Militia, every high school and university in the nation participated in training young soldiers!

Young Cadet Major Brinks graduated from Colony High School with highest honors, going on to the University of Ottawa, where he again excelled in Business Management. He also participated in the Cadet Program throughout his University years.

Four years later, Regular Army First Lieutenant Robert Brinks, Jr. reported to the office of the President to replace his Father, now Colonel Brinks, as head of Presidential Security! He was every bit as competent as his Father and Bear saw no difference in his own security.

After conferring with Sky, Bear ordered a Cruiser and two Destroyers to be permanently stationed at the mouth of the St. Lawrence Seaway to guard the entrance and regulate shipping that was beginning to expand as international trade resumed.

The slavers tried twice more to force their way into Canadian Waters, they were soundly repulsed both times, their ships sunk and crews imprisoned. They were not allowed luxurious living in the Canadian prisons, they were expected to grow their own food and maintain the prison itself.

The slavers also raided several coastal cities of The East United States. The President of the East United States requested a joint Naval Operation to wipe out the pirate and slaver nests in the Caribbean, Bear reluctantly agreed and the year-long operation began. He really did not want to become involved in foreign military operations, but he recognized the need to wipe out the slavers.

While the task ultimately proved impossible, it would be many years before the scum pirates and slavers would recover. The islands they had occupied were bombed back to the stone age!

Bear’s six year term in office was nearly finished; he was looking forward to resuming his love affair with his Great Grandchildren. Army Captain Robert Brinks, Jr. was in the outer office when he heard Bear cry out and then heard a thump of something hitting the floor.

He went running into the Presidential Office to find Bear collapsed on the floor, dead! Captain Brinks’ howl of anguish was heard throughout the building! Sky rushed into the office to find the young Captain sitting on the floor holding Bear’s head, tears running from his face in inconsolable sorrow.

This man, who had meant so much to Captain Brinks’ family and to himself, was gone. The medics had to pry Robert Brinks from holding onto Bear, so deep was his grief. His Father, now General Brinks, had to be sedated; Bear had saved him from certain starvation at the start of the Wars of Restoration and had been part of his life since that time.

When General Brinks recovered, he immediately retired and became Instructor of Cadets at Colony High School! His son, Robert, Jr., stayed in the Army and eventually became the Chief of the General Staff before retiring.

Sky finished Bear’s term in office and was elected President the next two elections, Rodrigo serving as his Vice President both terms.

Rodrigo then was elected President of Canada with Ricardo as his Vice President!

Thus ends this part of the Brave New World Adventure, but it is not the end of the story for either Canada or Colony! Be patient! TBC