So when the call from her colonel came, she all but leaped at the opportunity to answer the call to the colors. Any thought that she was being sucked into the ever expanding storm that threatened the very foundation of the nation she so loved was, for the moment, conveniently forgotten. Never having been a good spectator, Nancy wanted to be a participant, not a pawn. As one of her old Army mentors was fond of saying, “There are only two kinds of people on the battlefield, killers and targets. Which are you?” Those who knew Nancy Kozak never had to ask her in which category she placed herself.

At the state headquarters Nancy didn’t even have an opportunity to make it to her cubicle before she was whisked away to Colonel Simonson’s office. “Have you been brought up to speed on what’s been going on?”

With a look of confusion on her face, Nancy held her hat and purse out before her. “Sir, I haven’t even laid eyes on my desk yet.”

Pausing, her superior looked over at the purse and hat. Looking up, he shook his head. “No,” he mumbled absentmindedly, “I guess you’re not quite on board.”

Nancy smiled. “Oh, that’s okay. I imagine the situation isn’t too hard to figure out.”

Without another word, Simonson turned and walked behind his desk where he slumped down in his seat. As he did so his expression clouded. “I wish I could be as confident.”

Nancy let her face assume an appropriate expression of concern as her arms dropped to the side and she waited for the colonel to continue.

“As a first move,” Simonson started as he rotated his seat slowly around until he was looking out the window, “the President attempted to federalize the National Guard here in Idaho. The state adjutant general, of course, politely declined the mission, stating, and I quote, ‘I have but one master, and one duty. My master is the governor of this state, and my duty is to defend that state and its people.’ With that, he hung up the phone and issued orders that no one was to respond to any orders, instructions, or reply to any requests for information from anyone connected with the federal government or the media.”

“So where does that leave us?” Nancy asked when the colonel’s pause stretched out longer than she was comfortable with.

Spinning his seat around quickly, Simonson looked up at her. “It leaves you out at the ammo point at Gowen Field. You’re to pull your detachment together as quickly as possible, beat feet out there, and secure of that facility as best you can.”

“And after that?”

Simonson hesitated, rubbing his hands together as he thought for a minute. “Who knows,” he finally admitted. “Perhaps nothing. Maybe, a serious case of sanity will break out and everyone will back down.”

“If not?” Nancy pressed.