Nancy was about to respond when her eyes fell upon Jan Fields standing at the foot of the steps with the other journalists. In an instant she knew where and how she would employ Nathan and his platoon of wayward paratroopers.

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 22

BLACK MESA, IDAHO MORNING, NOVEMBER 10

It had been understood from the beginning that the military would have no responsibility when it came to the actual reassertion of Federal authority over Idaho as that occurred. This arrangement suited Scott Dixon just fine. One meeting with the officials sent from Washington to oversee this process was enough to convince the commander of the 4th Armored Division that he wanted no part of their program. Following the example of many a wise American commander who had preceded him, Scott stayed out of the politics and concentrated, instead, on his primary task. While the Idaho Guard had given, it remained unbroken. Correcting that state of affairs now became the focus of the 4th Armored Division.

But before his division could tend to this, Scott was faced with the need of ordering an operational pause. With its logistical network still stretching back into Utah and Nevada, the division’s support command needed time to reel it in and establish forward support bases in preparation for the next phase of the operation. Though he wanted to press on before the Guard had an opportunity to collect itself, Scott knew instinctively that he had no choice in the matter. After a rapid and all but unopposed advance, the 4th AD came to a halt just west of Twin City. In many ways this pause was a blessing, for it gave the commanders of his combat units an opportunity to gather in their widely dispersed command and pull some badly needed maintenance on their vehicles. It also afforded commanders and soldiers alike an opportunity to catch up on some badly needed sleep.

Besides the hard-nosed military necessities that drove this operational pause, Scott appreciated the fact that there was also a physiological element in play. The news teams that were following in the 4th Armored Division’s wake were filming the quiet, almost passive acceptance of the return of Federal authority to Twin Falls and regions to the east. These images sent a powerful message to the rest of the state. The absence of retribution or animosity from either side gave members of the Idaho Guard something to think about. Scott’s pause also permitted their political leaders time to reassess their current position, evaluate options available to them, and contemplate the consequences that they would face if they continued to maintain their chosen course.