CRESCENT MOON RISING

RD FORTH
Chapter 13 Washington, D.C., Marriott Hotel Miriam Goodman was mad and astonishe
d almost beyond words. Stalking about the room, throwing first one arm and then
the other up in the air, she mostly sputtered, “Are you out of your goddamned mi
nd? You seriously want to blow up and..or..fucking sink Japanese islands? IF..if
you ARE serious, and I can’t believe we would ever do such a thing; then, well
then..I cannot be a part of this. And you, Admiral Bramble, should be committed!
”
Neal answered for Thomas this time “Didn’t you hear what he said about why this
may be necessary Marion? The United States and half of the rest of the world is
under attack and our military can’t do fuck all Billy shit about it.”
“Yes, I heard and I don’t believe it! The military always wants to fight and the
y usually do not need much of an excuse, but this..this is unconscionable and un
believably vicious. And..and this science fiction fantasy putting hydrogen bombs
under Japan! Why that is plain ludicrous and idiotic. Even if it could be done,
just think. THINK gentlemen! The ecological disaster that we would be creating
…and I’m not even factoring in the earthquake event we goddamned well know is ab
out to happen. God forbid we add to that!”
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Thomas T. spoke with his eyes as well as his mouth, “Miriam, as God is my witnes
s, this time Jewish people all over the world will suffer worse than the Holocau
st and that will be only the beginning. Try to envision that, Miriam. Put that a
gainst dead ecosystems and see what matters most. Next consider life for everyon
e else under incredibly harsh and oppressive Japanese rule. There will be no fre
edom, Miriam. No laughter. No children dreaming of love and happiness. There WIL
L be despair, cruelty and death beyond anything the world has ever seen. This is
not a fantasy and it’s not going away unless and until we do something to chang
e the outcome. I do not know how else to make you understand. There is no other
way and we do not have a choice.”
Miriam stood absolutely still, arms crossed, trying to look at Thomas as tears w
ashed down her cheeks. Her lips were trembling so badly she had to bite her lowe
r one to keep from sobbing. “Thomas, we can’t. We just can’t.”
Bramble walked over to Miriam and put his arms around her, drawing her head to h
is chest. “Do you mean we can’t put an end to the madness the Japanese intend or
we can’t just standby helplessly while the entire world spirals into a hellhole
from which there may never be an escape?”
“I don’t know Thomas,” she sniffled. “It’s all so horrible.”
CRESCENT MOON RISING
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“Yes, I know it is, my love. As horrible as it is, I need your help and your cou
ntry and much of the world desperately needs your help. Miriam, even if my plan
succeeds most of the men manning those subs are going to be sacrificed. I can’t
send them to almost certain death without doing everything possible to give them
at least a fighting chance. I’m going with them Miriam. I need that chance too.
”
“Oh, Thomas, nooooo!” Miriam wailed. “No, please don’t say that.” She looked up
at an Admiral’s stern face. “Please, please don’t even consider going with them.
You are needed here. I need you here. The President and everybody else needs yo
u here.”
“Darling, don’t you know I want to stay here? I want to spend the rest of my lif
e with you? I want the picket fence, the flower gardens and maybe even dirty dia
pers that need changing. I simply cannot send thousands of young men to die alon
e and scattered along the ocean floor while I stay her safe with you. I could no
t live with myself and you could not either. I have to go.”
Miriam straightened up and pushed herself away from Thomas. “Then I’m going as w
ell. Life without you now would be unbearable and besides you are going to need
my help in placing those..things where they will do the most bad. One place I kn
ow of is very vulnerable but it will be extremely difficult to find with a subme
rsible unless you happen to have one equipped with a Hertz dial-an-
CRESCENT MOON RISING
RD FORTH
underwater-map system.” Thomas shook his head no. They were both managing small
smiles. “No? See, you do need me.” Miriam grabbed her Admiral again, this time f
iercely. “What’s to become of us Thomas? Will this really work and end all the c
raziness or will we die along with all those young boys for, for nothing?”
Admiral Bramble whispered in Miriam’s ear, “I hope with all my heart we don’t ha
ve to die but if we do, I promise you it won’t be for nothing.”
“Then, my handsome, brave but crazy Admiral, we have a lot of work to do.”
Neal’s room at the Marriott
Neal was pondering what he should say or rather what he could say to Leigh. She
was dead on-track after all and it was almost a certainty that no one save the P
resident (maybe) could stop her. He inserted the hotel key card and pushed in th
e door.
Lee-Roy whirled around to face Neal and snarled “Oh, it’s you. Professor numb nu
ts. What the hell do you want?”
Neal stopped and slowly let the door close behind him. Quizzically he asked, “Le
e-Roy, is that you?”
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Hands on hips and smiling wickedly “So you do know about me. How interesting.” N
either moved nor said anything for a few seconds. Finally the stranger in Leigh’
s body demanded in an exasperated but sultry voice, “Well are you just going to
stand there gawking or are you going come over here and let me suck your cock?”
“What?” “You heard me. That’s what you like isn’t it? You drop your knickers and
I gobble your cookies. Shit! Don’t give me that look! You like it. You know you
do. That’s all guys like you ever think about around Leigh and me. Gee, Beautif
ul girl. Bet she fucks like a whore on a double dose of speed. Bet she can suck
the freckles off my dick. That about cover it Professor Pouchicums?”
“Where is Leigh, Lee-Roy? I need to speak with Leigh.”
“Who gives a fuck what you need!” Lee-Roy stood defiantly for a few seconds then
, “She’s resting and I am not going to wake her up; so go take a crap or somethi
ng. Better yet, leave.”
“I don’t think I should leave and I don’t have to take a crap. I need to talk wi
th Leigh and I do not think I can do it through you.”
Lee-Roy, defiant look still on her face, walked slowly and seductively
CRESCENT MOON RISING
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toward Neal. The exaggerated porn star hip swing was a bit much but overall it w
as fascinating to watch. “Same face, same body and same brain sweetie but the st
upid bitch almost never hears or remembers my private conversations. So you see,
it would not do you any good to tell me unless you were talking to her. I hear
everything and feel everything she does, plus I have some good times on my own.”
Lee Roy patted Neal’s cheek and whispered menacingly “By the way, knock off the
ass-fucking shit; I don’t like it and I don’t care if Leigh does pretend to lik
e it. She only does that so men will be crazy about her. Can you believe that? I
mean, when was the last time you let some pervert shove a pipe wrench up your a
ss and yell YEE HAW just so he would like you best?”
“I did not yell Yee Haw.”
“Well la de fucking da! I guess it was the pig grunts and the slobber falling on
my neck that made me think of Yee Haw or maybe in was Hee Haw, you flaming assh
ole. Anyway it’s gross, it hurts and I don’t FUCKING LIKE IT! OK? Understand? Yo
u try it again and I will bite your God-shitting nuts off.”
Lee-Roy flashed one of Leigh’s megawatt smiles and in a little girl’s innocent v
oice said, “Sooo, now that the bad man is scared away, we going to have a good t
ime Daddy? Baby girl wants to plaaay.”
“Knock it off Lee-Roy!” Neal was shouting in her face only inches away.
CRESCENT MOON RISING
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Lee-Roy flinched back a full step. “Bring Leigh to me NOW!”
“I hear you, you fucking Tarzan. Jesus, I think you broke my fucking eardrums. I
t’s not always that easy, sometimes she doesn’t want to come back. What’s so dam
ned important anyway?”
“Only half the world and about a billion people Lee-Roy”
“Jesuuus Christ, are you serious?”
“More than I have ever been in my life.”
“God Almighty” Lee-Roy breathed. “I don’t know if I can do this but I’ll try. Go
sit down and don’t say anything. I have to lie down like she did before I came
out. Leigh may come back in a minute, an hour or I don’t uh I just don’t know. A
ll either of us can do is be patient and you, Bucko don’t move around until she
or I sit up, OK?”
“How long has Leigh been schizophrenic Lee-Roy?”
“She’s not, exactly that is; at least not yet. She can stop me from coming out a
ny time she wants. Trouble is that more and more she doesn’t want to stop me. Sh
e thought you were going to be the quote ‘Love of forever and a day’ unquote. Wh
at a crock! You couldn’t save a flower from buffalo turds. Now shut
CRESCENT MOON RISING
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up and wait.”
The office terrace of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Harkavey, 3:10 A.M.
The diminutive Prime Minister puffed contently on his Dunhill pipe. Made from a
briar over a hundred years old, Harkavey had owned it for forty more years since
it’s creation. Tobacco still burned smoothly and provided an excellent smoke fr
om this, his favorite possession. Turning to his cabinet members in attendance h
e offered, “The lights in the eastern sky do seem more interesting than usual. R
ather sparkly I think.” No other conversation was necessary. Twelve minutes late
r the sparkles diminished and then there were only searchlights wavering in the
blackness accompanied by occasional tiny groups of flashes, like fireflies. When
the sky was quiet and unmoving, six men and one woman somberly turned away thin
king many things. Mostly about home and a safe bed.
The American strike force had consisted of F-18s, arriving first and concentrati
ng their payloads against CMR headquarters and the Cypress International Bank; a
s well as F-16s complimented with the requisite support and control aircraft. Th
e BUFFs (Big Ugly Fat Fuckers) or B-52s would arrive last from Diego Garcia. The
F-18s were largely successful, managing to pulverize only one unintended, haple
ss target; the only ‘You Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt’ outlet in all of Lebanon. Th
e B-52s were about as successful as they always were; a lot of noise; a lot of e
xplosions and some of the bombs actually did some real
CRESCENT MOON RISING
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damage to the planned military targets. The F-16s, however, did not fare very we
ll. The newer models (F-16Es and Fs) found themselves without radar or weapons c
ontrol and had to turn back before they even crossed into Lebanon. The older mod
el F-16s were forced to turn back as well to provide cover and radar eyes for th
eir virtually blind and helpless fellow pilots. Satellite images would later rev
eal CMR Corporation and Cypress International Bank in need of new office space.
Other photos showed one Syrian military base heavily damaged (it used to have lo
ts of airplanes) and two other base less so. Unfortunately a huge flea market li
ke bazaar received the brunt of ordnance targeted for a military power station.
Everyone finally agreed that the Bazaar was undoubtedly the main shopping place
for provisioning a nearby Syrian army base, so it was counted a successful missi
on hit as well. All in all, it was determined the President could be told we kic
ked some serious Arab ass; and we did not lose a single plane, unless you counte
d the blind and weaponless ones.
Tripoli, Lebanon, Mustafaa Daoudi’s personal quarters
Esam Jamal rushed unannounced and shouting into Mustafaa’s sleeping rooms and wa
s nearly shot for his impetuousness as Daoudi was now always armed and jumpy. Es
am’s eyes were so wide he only saw Mustafaa’s face and failed to notice he was a
n almost dead man. Clearly awake for some time Daoudi raised his empty hand for
Esam to stop where he was. “If you have come to inform me that CMR headquarters
is gone, you are too late. Seems one of the guards took an extended and disallow
ed break off premise. He was two blocks
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away when our building disappeared in a rain of glass and stone. I believe that
was how he stated it.”
“Oh, Mustafaa Ibraheem Daoudi, my friend; it is much worse than that. The bank i
s also gone. Only fire and rubble remain. We are lost! Allah has turned away fro
m us.” Esam collapsed sobbing.
Mustafaa was white with anger. Iragawa had allowed this to happen in repayment f
or the banishment from Tripoli of his Japanese minions. Mustafaa silently vowed
revenge a hundred, no a thousand times worse for Iragawa. Daoudi only knew of on
e thing he could control that the double-crossing Japanese infidels had to have.
OIL! Tremendous quantities of Arab oil. Oil could be made unusable in many ways
, some even undetectable until machinery seized and things like airplanes sudden
ly fell from the skies. By the holy beard of Mohammed, Mustafaa swore unrelentin
g and terrible revenge. First, however, he must appear humbled and eager to make
amends with Iragawa. Only then could he plunge the sword of justice into Japan’
s bowels.
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Reuters Wire Service bulletin: France asks Jews to voluntarily exit French borde
rs. Officials in Paris promise free or reduced-fare passage on all available cru
ise ships departing France bound for Israel. Separately, Air France rejects as n
ot feasible, government request to augment airfreight service between Paris and
Tel Aviv.
AP International: German government leaders today vowed equal protection for all
citizens. Spokespersons in Berlin express dismay over demands to relocate Jews.
Officials in Bonn announce temporary halt to immigration and state and, until f
urther notice, all visitations to Germany after midnight, tomorrow will be by in
vitation only. To ease hardship placed on business and commerce for those residi
ng outside Germany, government offices will accept in good faith facsimile versi
ons of contracts, proposals, responses to Invitations-to-Bid and other like docu
ments. Sensitive correspondence and all manners of monetary conveyance or promis
e normally hand delivered should be presented to German Legation, Bern, Switzerl
and.
CNN International special report summary: Portugal joins France, Italy and Belgi
um in urging Jews to voluntarily relocate to Israel. Special flights with greatl
y reduced ticket fares and family packages are planned.
CRESCENT MOON RISING
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Worldviews Today Net: Spain demands Jews leave. Sets twelve-day deadline.
BBC Wire Service Announcement (from adjunct headquarters in The Hague, Netherlan
ds): Israel pleads for world to discontinue plans to expel Jews. Cites inability
to cope with expected influx of immigrants. Tel Aviv directs nation to gird for
war with Arab neighbors.
Reuters Wire Service (from Moscow): Moscow television reports massive Chinese bu
ildup of troops and material along Sino-Soviet border. Russian defenses on heigh
tened alert as government scrambles to rush reinforcements to key positions.
VitalNet News Now: Jewish Defense League and American Civil Liberties Union join
in pledge to resist attempts to ostracize Jews.
America’s religious leaders decry plight of International Jews. Urge prayers and
support for Jewish citizens and communities everywhere.
Church for Christian Harmony and Delight promise sanctuary for all Jewish people
seeking salvation.
Run for the (desert) Roses
CRESCENT MOON RISING
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Washington D.C., Office of the Vice President
Elizabeth Rivera tapped a gold and silver Mont Blanc rolling writer on the edge
of her notebook. Her eyes glittered evilly as she stared hard into the weasel-li
ke face of Alger Brighton. Elizabeth was mulling whether to trust this toad or t
o throw his skinny ass out, after a scathing dressing-down of course. She decide
d to push him with sarcasm and to hammer the shithead if he could not keep his s
tory straight. “Am I correct then, Mr. Brighton, that the reason you are current
ly under investigation by the NSA is: One: Secretary of State Willem Gorse and S
enator Graddisson Henry, who are, uh, shall we say friends; were discussing poss
ible security leaks. Two: Gorse and Henry came to you to do a little snooping fo
r them. Three: Your snooping led you to suspect some person or persons in the At
torney General’s office. Four: Lydia Hardcastle and her assistant, a, umm what w
as her name? Oh yes, a Crystal Medearis, discovered your snooping. Five: This Me
dearis woman, who is the daughter of Admiral Thomas T. Bramble, is the source of
the leaks Gorse and Henry sent you to find.
Six: Medearis is the leak, giving sensitive, strategy revealing material to her
father, Admiral Bramble, in order to aid the Japanese in negotiations on the new
CRESCENT MOON RISING
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trade bills. Is that basically your story? Oh, wait, I forgot the best part. Mrs
. Medearis convinced Hardcastle to sic the NSA on you in order to deflect attent
ion away from herself.”
Alger was desperately trying to match Rivera’s hard stares but he only succeeded
in looking ridiculous, constantly crossing and uncrossing both legs and arms an
d generally squirming all over his chair. Rivera, in Brighton’s catalog of femal
e abominations, ranked near the top of women to avoid. She was powerful and she
was ugly. Not ugly in the normal sense; in fact, from a distance she could be co
nsidered reasonably attractive to most men. It was the hair! My God, up close th
ere was heavy, coarse black hair everywhere. She had a mustache and sideburns an
d the pores were visible above her nose where she plucked her eyebrows. If she d
id not rid herself of the excess, her heavy eyebrows obviously became one big, b
lack hairy line. Alger shuddered at the thought of what the Vice President’s clo
thing concealed.
Convincing Gorse and Henry had been a snap compared to Vice President Rivera. Se
cretary Gorse kept a slush fund for some of the more basic, purulent needs of vi
siting dignitaries. That was not anything new for the State Department. What Alg
er found useful was that Gorse spent much of the funds on expensive hookers for
his personal enjoyment, The fat pervert could not do much himself with the disea
sed whores, but he liked to watch. Henry was even easier. The good Senator was h
ooked on pain pills. Brighton had the names of two doctors illegally prescribing
for Gradisson Henry.
CRESCENT MOON RISING
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“Uh, basically that is correct Madam Vice President.” Alger squeaked the ‘Uh’ bu
t the rest came out in a reasonably male timbre.
“In a word Mr. Brighton, bullshit!”
Alger flinched and blanched with fear.
“It’s bullshit Mr. Brighton because Admiral Bramble is infamous for bashing Japa
n and the Japanese at every opportunity. He has, in point of fact, been put on t
he carpet and severely reprimanded by his superiors on several occasions for run
ning off at the mouth about our esteemed ally.”
“That’s a cover-up, “ Alger almost shouted.
“What?” Laughing directly in the toad’s face, Rivera continued harassing, “Do yo
u realize that would mean one of the Navy’s brightest stars and the new Chief of
Naval Operations has been spying for the Japanese for years? You can’t really e
xpect me to believe that.”
“It’s true. I, uh, I have copies of some of the material his daughter stole for
him.”
Rivera held very still. Carefully she posed her response in a quiet,
CRESCENT MOON RISING
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respectful manner, “And how were you able to come by such evidence?”
“I’m not at liberty to reveal my source at this time.”
“You goddamned better find the liberty, Mister, and right now!” Rivera could roa
r with the best of them when provoked.
Alger was in severe distress. He realized he had made a mistake in mentioning co
pies of stolen papers. Too late to change his story now, the algaeeater dug his
hole a little deeper, “My source, as you say, is, ah, not available to corrobora
te or, ah…probably even discuss any of this.”
“Do not, I repeat, do not even attempt to shit me you little…,” Elizabeth stoppe
d just before she uttered ‘rat-turd’. Rising from her desk and coming around to
stand directly over Alger, she hissed, “If you think I’m going to act on this lo
ad of crap and innuendo without corroboration, you must be a bigger idiot than I
have heard about you.”
Brighton could not force his eyes to meet Rivera s. Fingers kneading kneecaps, A
lger looked at a point on the Vice President’s desk and whined, “My contact is a
nother foreign national with diplomatic immunity. His name won’t do you any good
.”
CRESCENT MOON RISING
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“You let me be the judge of that!”
Alger named the Bulgarian cultural attache as the safest person he could think o
f under the circumstances. Cultural Attaches were often spies, and certainly the
Bulgarian one was, they ALWAYS were; everyone knew that.
Elizabeth Rivera thought to herself, “Well, score one for the toad.” Rivera posi
tioned herself directly in front of her visitor and leaned back against her desk
. Folding her hands in a prayerful posture below her chin she hummed a few bars
of “You are my sunshine’ before speaking, “I’ll tell you what I think about your
fanciful little ditty, Mr. Brighton. I.. think…you somehow convinced Secretary
Gorse and Senator Henry to go along with this charade of yours.” Elizabeth light
ly tapped Alger’s shin with her shoe. “Look at me Mr. Brighton.”
Alger lifted his head and focused on Rivera’s chin.
The Vice President continued, “Want to venture a guess why I think that; why I’m
almost sure of that? No? How about, you should have gone to your superiors at J
ustice or even the FBI if you are telling the truth; but you came to me instead
and I find that very interesting. Isn’t that interesting?”
Alger risked a quick glance at Rivera’s eyes and instantly regretted it.
CRESCENT MOON RISING
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Everything about her face said she was ridiculing him and enjoying it immensely.
She let him simmer a moment longer and then whispered, “You are such a snoop! I
was not aware that many people knew I have a hard-on for Lydia Hardcastle.” She
laughed, “In an asexual way of course. One really must be careful talking about
others in Washington or don’t you agree…you slime ball worm!”
Brighton started to get up saying, “Listen, Secretary Gorse said you were the ri
ght person to...”
Speaking out loud while returning to her chair, “Oh shut up and sit back down. W
illem Gorse doesn’t have the balls or the brains of a termite. I tell you what,
Mr. Brighton. I WILL look into the matter just as soon as I get those papers you
spoke of and if, and that’s a big if, I find what you have stated has any merit
, I will most certainly act on it. Now listen carefully to what I’m telling you
Mr. Brighton. You make damned sure the package those papers arrive in is clearly
marked from your personal office and the papers; you will put your fingerprints
all over every single sheet. Now if you will excuse me, I have a presidential b
riefing to attend.”
Alger shakily headed for the door when Rivera called out, “Algae-eater! I sugges
t that after you take care of that mail I spoke of, you take a vacation and play
on the Internet. I hear it is a great place to find a job these days.”
CRESCENT MOON RISING
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After Brighton left her office, Rivera smiled and whispered, “Yes! I do indeed h
ave you by the proverbial nuts Mr. President; Mr. Soon to be former President!”
Twelve paces from the Vice President’s door, Alger (algae-eater) Brighton vomite
d into what was a perky floral arrangement. The President’s wife liked things pe
rky. Alger did not feel perky, he felt squashed.
The secret service agent who had calmly watched Brighton cover perky with pukey
spoke softly into her walkie-talkie. Another happy day for housekeeping.
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