The Protectors of the Saltire. William Speir

      The

      Protectors of the Saltire

      Book Three of the

      Knights of the Saltire Series

      The

      Protectors of the Saltire

      Book Three of the

      Knights of the Saltire Series

      By

      William Speir

      No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

      Text Copyright © 2012 & 2015 William Speir

      All rights reserved.

      Published 2015 by Progressive Rising Phoenix Press, LLC, www.progressiverisingphoenix.com

      ISBN: 978-1-944277-58-1

      *

      Printed in the U.S.A.

      Cover Photo: “Night mission/operation hostage rescue.view through the night vision scope” ID: 362919626 by PRESSLAB. Image used under license from Shutterstock.com.

      Illustration “The Arms of the Order of the Saltire” by William Speir

      Cover design by William Speir

      Visit: http://www.williamspeir.com

      Formatting by Polgarus Studio

      Visit: http://www.polgarusstudio.com

      The Protectors of the Saltire was previously published as part of the Order of the Saltier Trilogy Special Edition in 2012 (ISBN: 978-1-62212-593-7).

      Introduction

      I first began writing The Knights of the Saltire in 2010. At the time, it was intended to be a stand-alone book, but before the first draft was completed, ideas for the next two books in The Order of the Saltire Trilogy had come to me. By the time The Knights of the Saltire was first published, I had already started writing the sequel trilogy, The Sentinels of the Saltire. This was followed by Legacy of the Grand Master, which was originally intended to be the first book in The Children of the Saltire series but remains a stand-alone novel.

      In 2012, I took the opportunity to revise the first three books and release the trilogy in a single hardback edition. This was followed by a release of the first and second trilogies in ebook format. I have since written several other novels, and as my writing improved, I felt dissatisfied with the quality of the Saltire series. So in 2015 I made the decision to revise all seven books in the series and release new editions.

      The first five chapters of this book, under the Section Title “Putting The House In Order,” follow the same structure as in the first two books of the trilogy. They set the stage for the central conflict of the story. Even though the “experts” say that you must introduce your main character in Chapter 1, I chose to be consistent with how each book in this trilogy begins. I hope you’ll forgive me for breaking the “rules” of writing.

      I’d like to thank my wife, Lee Anne, for her tireless support of my writing career. She encourages me and helps keep me focused and grounded. Without her love and support, I could accomplish nothing. I also want to acknowledge my children: Sonya and her husband Tom, and Brad and his wife Susie and son Colten. They are my inspiration.

      I’d like to thank my sister Linda Speir for her valuable edits, critiques, and suggestions. I am grateful for the time and effort she has put into helping me with my writing.

      A final thanks goes to my fans, who show their appreciation daily by buying my books and encouraging others to do the same. I hope you enjoy the revised series. This is for you.

      William Speir

      April 2015

      To Dr. Stephen O. Glosecki who first encouraged my writing and inspired me to express myself on paper.

      Table of Contents

       Putting The House In Order

       The Smell Of Smoke

       A Spark Of Rebellion

       Expos And Conclaves

       The Tower Falls

       Stealth And Deceit

       The Fire Extinguished

Putting The House In Order

      1

      January 30, 5:05 AM

      Washington, D.C.

      President George Irwin Sheppard hit the snooze button on his alarm clock and lay there in the early morning stillness, wishing that he could go back to sleep. Every morning since becoming President of the United States of America, as soon as the alarm sounded, his mind immediately picked up where it left off the night before, denying him the pleasure of occasionally sleeping in. The long hours were taking their toll on him, but there was still so much to do and not enough hours in the day to get it all done.

      It had been just over a year since former President Sanborn was impeached and Sheppard was sworn in as President during one of the worst crises in American history. Sanborn had murdered his predecessor, President Hampton, and ordered a number of terrorist attacks to be committed against Americans in an attempted to turn the United States into a police state. He created a federal police force, known as the Homeland Security Force or HSF, established detention camps for political prisoners, and had hundreds of prisoners executed. He had even attempted to declare martial law and disband Congress to prevent his impeachment. It was only when the military refused to obey Sanborn’s illegal orders that Congress successfully impeached Sanborn and began dismantling his administration.

      Sheppard’s first year as President had been nearly overwhelming. The economy was on the verge of collapse when he took office because of trade embargos and similar sanctions that other nations had implemented to protest Sanborn’s treatment of U.S. citizens. Sheppard had to act quickly to prove to these nations that he was serious when he promised to restore the civil and human rights that Sanborn had violated. Slowly, the sanctions had been lifted, and the ports were once again moving goods in and out of the country, although not at the same levels as before the crisis. The economy was beginning to stabilize, and America’s industries were rebounding from one of the worst financial years on record.

      U.S. military forces were also being allowed to return to Europe and Asia, though not with as much enthusiasm as Sheppard had hoped. The world was being cautious about welcoming the U.S. back into the community of nations. Still, the Navy had redeployed part of its Atlantic and Pacific fleets to their former duty stations, and Sheppard hoped that the U.S. forces in Europe and Asia would return to their previous levels by the end of the year.