The Protectors of the Saltire. William Speir

allies around the globe. Diplomatic missions that had been recalled during the crisis were beginning to return, and Sheppard was optimistic that relations would continue to improve. One of the biggest indications of improvement was from the United Nations. During the crisis, the U.S. delegation had been barred from key meetings because the meeting topics concerned sanctions against the United States. Now the U.S. delegation was being allowed back into meetings as the United Nations dealt with other world issues.

      Sheppard’s advisors had started to pressure the President about running for another term. The primaries were only a few months away, but the election was the last thing that Sheppard had time to think about. It wasn’t lost on him that he was only the second President to occupy his office without having been elected either President or Vice President. The first was Gerald Ford, who had been appointed as Vice President in 1973 when Spiro Agnew resigned. Less than a year later, Ford became President when Richard Nixon resigned.

      Sheppard wasn’t even certain at this point whether or not he wanted a second term in office. He saw it as his primary job to correct the mistakes of his predecessor, and once that was done, he doubted that he’d have anything left to offer the country.

      At the end of his first year in office, Sheppard knew that, while he had made progress abolishing Sanborn’s policies and practices, he still had a lot of work left to do. There were hundreds of executive orders that had to be reviewed and either repealed or modified. Some of these orders were popular and had contributed to a very low unemployment rate during Sanborn’s time in office. Sheppard knew he needed to be careful that he didn’t throw out the good with the bad. He worked very closely with the Congressional leaders from both parties to identify the good executive orders and have them replaced with legislation that accomplished the same goal legally.

      The biggest issue that still plagued Sheppard was bringing to justice those who were responsible for the crimes committed against American citizens during Sanborn’s time in office. Sanborn, his Secretary of Homeland Security and the Director of the HSF were dead – killed while resisting arrest or trying to escape. Sheppard had ordered all HSF officers arrested and detained until it could be sorted out which ones were guilty of murder and other crimes, and which were innocent of these crimes. The HSF internment facility guards had been captured when the Navy liberated the prisons, and those involved in the executions had either been killed during the liberation or had been tried and executed shortly afterwards. Most of the HSF officers arrested had already been released due to a lack of evidence that they had been directly involved in the executions or other acts of violence against U.S. citizens.

      However, there were still numerous HSF officers who hadn’t been arrested or tried for their crimes. No one knew where they were hiding, but they had managed to elude the Army, the FBI, and the state and local police forces for over a year. This concerned Sheppard. He didn’t like the idea that so many criminals from the Sanborn administration were still on the loose. He was worried that it could give rise to vigilantes who might take justice into their own hands against the wrong people, and he was worried that so many HSF officers in hiding could be plotting something. They’ve already proven they have little regard for innocent lives.

      In Sheppard’s inaugural address, he had asked Americans to be patient and let the system work to bring these criminals to justice. And he had promised to apprehend and prosecute all who had committed crimes against U.S. citizens during the crisis. He knew that he needed to keep his promise, but he felt that the people’s patience was wearing thin. He needed for these HSF officers to be found soon.

      The alarm clock went off again and Sheppard reached over to turn it off. There was no fighting it. It was time to get another day started. He sat up, got out of bed, and walked slowly to the bathroom to take a shower. As he crossed the bedroom floor, his mind fixated on a single thought: Where are they hiding?

      2

      January 30, 7:30 PM

      Headquarters Commandery.

      “Fellow Knights and Dames of the Order,” Knight Grand Cross Ralph Gardner began as he addressed the assembly. “We have reports that at least two former HSF officers are hiding in the area. As you know, we’ve participated in a number of interventions to bring former HSF officers to justice for murder and other crimes committed under the Sanborn administration. These two were recognized by one of our own who was imprisoned at an internment camp in the Caribbean and later escaped – Sam Billingsly. They need to be brought to justice. I ask that a team be put together for that purpose.”

      “Thank you Sir Ralph,” the Grand Master said at the end of Ralph’s report. “Is there any discussion from the membership on this request?”

      “Do we know where they’re hiding?” one member asked.

      “Not specifically,” Ralph replied. “One was sighted at a local electronics store. The other was sighted at a hardware store. Both were buying a strange mix of supplies and parts. They were followed on foot by the person who recognized them, but the trail was lost when they got into their cars. The team will need to review traffic footage to determine where they were heading and where else they’ve been making purchases.”

      “Do we know if there are others in hiding with them?” another member asked.

      “Not at this time. That’ll need to be determined before any final plans for their apprehension can be made.”

      Once all questions had been answered, the Grand Master said “Very well. Since there are no more questions on this request, I call for the vote. All in favor of the Order taking on this intervention signify by saying ‘aye’.”

      “Aye,” the membership said in unison.

      “Any opposed?” the Grand Master asked.

      There was no opposition. The Grand Master turned to Ralph. “Very well. Sir Ralph, your request has been approved. Who do you want on your team?”

      Ralph read the list of 12 names. One of the names was Sam Billingsly, a Knight Commander from Charleston who had transferred to the Headquarters Commandery several months earlier to help with the HSF interventions. One of the other names was Emily McCafferty Anderson, the wife of the Lieutenant Grand Master and the Grand Master’s daughter-in-law.

      “Each of you please stand,” the Grand Master directed. The Dames and Knights stood up.

      “Will each of you consent to be part of this intervention team?” the Grand Master asked.

      “We do, your Excellency,” the Dames and Knights responded.

      “Thank you,” the Grand Master said. “You may be seated.” He turned to Ralph. “Sir Ralph, please keep the Grand Magistry updated on your progress and be prepared to give the Commandery an update at the next meeting.”

      “Yes, your Excellency,” Ralph said as he sat down.

      Emily looked across the room at her husband and smiled. Thomas Campbell Anderson, the Lt. Grand Master, smiled back and gave her a little wink. While most of the Commandery knew that Tom and Emily were married, few outside the Grand Magistry and Ralph knew that she was also the Grand Master’s daughter-in-law. Tom and Emily were determined to keep their family relationships separate from their work with the Order.

      After the meeting was over, Emily made her way to the corridor behind the dais where the offices of the Grand Magistry were located. Tom’s office was near the end of the hall, next to the Grand Master’s office. She started to knock on the door, but hesitated when she heard Tom talking to someone inside. She listened for a moment and realized that it was Ralph’s voice. She knocked and waited for Tom to answer.

      “Come in,” she heard him say.

      She opened the door and entered Tom’s office. Ralph was there along with another Knight whom she recognized as Sam Billingsly; Emily had been part of the team that helped get Billingsly and his team back into the United States after they had escaped from the Navassa Island internment facility.

      Tom was sitting behind his desk. His office wasn’t as large as the Grand