As President Harwell strolled along the outside patio toward the oval office, he could feel that spring was in the air. It was Saturday the first of April, and although still brisk at the early hour, the morning had dawned as pleasant and clear. In breaking from his established pattern, the President stopped for a moment to take in a few deep breaths of the clean fresh air. As he did so it occurred to him that there were very few places where he could take such action without either intrusive eyes or cameras needing to know the reason why it was done, so he lingered just a bit longer. The pause gave him comfort, and helped him prepare for what could be troubling news in the coming moments.

The President then once again moved toward the oval office, and as he stepped inside Christopher Westin greeted him with, “Good morning sir.”

“Good morning Chris. How are you today?”

“Fine sir. Thank you.”

“So did they go through with it, or was it some sort of elaborate April fool joke?”

“I’m afraid they went ahead as planned sir, at midnight local time in Texas.”

“Well that’s unfortunate. And to be honest, I didn’t think that they would.”

“Yes sir.”

“Alright Chris, give me some specifics.”

Throughout the next several minutes the President was briefed on how Texas had begun the stoppage of all tractor-trailers and any large vans which their border agents believed could be transporting any type of commercial goods through the republic. A report had come in from a border agent on Interstate-20 west of Shreveport Louisiana that he and members of his command had witnessed searches of trucks while they were being conducted. From their accounting, it looked as though the findings were then compared to manifests. Unfortunately their observations were not random, as it had been verified that similar actions were being taken at the entry points on all of the interstates and highways. The report continued by stating that some of the truckers had agreed to move forward under police escort so that they could turn around at the first exit and leave Texas, while others had paid the tariff so that they could pass through. It was also believed that some had no choice but to pay, as they may have been transporting perishable goods with a finite window of time for delivery.

In response to the action of Texas, some local law enforcement units from each of the four neighboring states had set up checkpoints short of the border within the next few hours. Their task was to inform any trucks or vans of what was happening ahead of them, which would at least give them an opportunity to divert if they so desired.

President Harwell had remained quiet while listening to the lengthy report, but his Chief of Staff noticed that he had begun to clench and unclench his left hand while absorbing the information. This was not the first time he had seen such a response from the President, and understood that it was a sign the man exhibited when growing overly angry or frustrated by a current circumstance.

Realizing that his next words could either add to or relieve the tension, he said, “That’s all I have on the subject at the moment sir. I will keep you posted if you like on any further developments.”

While still flexing his hand, Jordan Harwell replied, “Thank you Chris. But before we speak of this topic again, see if you can find out any specific details to the tariff. I would like to know just how much they are charging each individual truck.”

“Yes sir. I’ll get on that right away.”

Later that afternoon, the two men were once again in the oval office speaking on the subject. Christopher Westin had learned that the tariff was steep, as he had spoken again with the same border agent on Interstate-20. Apparently that agent had interviewed a trucker after the woman had been escorted for the turnaround at the first exit within Texas. She claimed that the tariff contained multiple levels of cost with an interesting option.

To begin with the tariff was based on how many measured miles were traveled while within Texas. In simple terms, the further you went the higher the tariff. Although the mileage markers on the highways could be used as a base calculation, they would only serve as a close approximation. The driver had been informed that the odometer reading would be noted and logged on the paperwork which must be carried through Texas, and then compared to the reading at an exit point. That way if the driver were to deviate from the most direct route for any reason, he or she would be charged for the additional mileage.

A second method in determining the tariff was the cargo itself, and that included two subcategories. First there was the weight, which seemed ridiculous on the surface, but it was a viable method to charge trucks with double trailers more than those with a single. The second factor was the content of the cargo, as anything deemed to present a potential hazard to either human life or the environment was charged at a higher rate. That came with an added stipulation that the trucking company or the independent driver would also be ultimately responsible for any cleanup costs which might be necessary if an accident were to occur. Although many of the terms for the tariff were disturbing to the President, in that last regard he had no issue. It was an unfortunate fact that accountability for a mess or fault which occurred was something which had generally disappeared throughout the global society during recent times.

Finally there was the alternative option which could be provided if a trucking company wanted to avoid paying the steep tariff. That company could stop their rig just yards beyond the border and have the trailer or trailers transferred onto a separate tractor owned by a company based within the Republic of Texas. The truck would then transport the load across Texas to the opposite border, where it would uncouple what it had picked up. There were only two requirements for the external company beyond the service fee which must be met if they chose that option. First was the fuel cost, which would have been incurred anyway in the crossing, and the second was the ability to have a tractor of their own ready for the transfer when the journey across Texas was completed. The offer sounded as though it could be a good option for any company that possessed a large fleet of trucks, as the service fee would be less expensive than the original tariff. Unfortunately, it did nothing to help the independent operator or a rig without disconnecting trailers.

When Christopher Westin completed the updated briefing, President Harwell stated quite sarcastically, “Well that all seems rather convenient to assist the needs of a large trucking company based within the United States. And it is also quite noble of Texas to offer such a service with one of their own.”

“Yes sir. But it’s a little too convenient and noble if you ask me.”

“I agree Chris, and I despise how it screws a small company or the independent drivers.”

“Yes sir.”

“So do we know the name of this wondrous trucking company based within Texas?”

“Yes sir we do. The company is called Tillman Freight, and it, along with Tillman Rail, is a subsidiary of the larger Tillman Shipping. The latter is the largest transportation company within their republic, and it is responsible for moving roughly eighty percent of their trade goods both foreign and domestically.”

“So Tillman Freight is a spinoff from Tillman Shipping? Well that’s interesting.”

“Yes sir, I thought so too. And in anticipating your obvious follow-up question, yes it has been confirmed that each company is owned by the same Samuel Tillman which we have identified as number two.”

“I appreciate that Chris, and please understand that I’m not aiming my response to this news directly at the messenger, but I have had enough with the antics of both Mr. Tillman and his organization. He may not realize it yet, but in my opinion he has just become an April fool.”

“How would that be sir?”

“He has just tipped his hand.”

“I’m afraid that I don’t follow sir.”

“Think about it Chris. Having the legislative bodies within Texas establish a tariff for the supposed benefit of the financial coffers was a sound idea. But then in providing a feasible and less expensive option as to how an external trucking company could avoid it, Mr. Tillman has demonstrated that it was actually done for his benefit and that of the organization.”

The President continued by explaining that this most current move, and others which have been put into play throughout the past seventeen months, were probably much more representative of the organization and its agenda than that of what the average Texas citizen desires. He then expressed that it may be a reach on his part, but what was known of Mr. Tillman suggested that he had an objective in mind with respect to the transportation tariff. That probably included a resolve, at least when it came to pursuing business opportunities in or through Texas, to force all the independent drivers out of the transportation game. Then to take it a step further, the President suggested that Mr. Tillman might attempt to convince former rival American trucking companies into a joint venture under his terms. If that could be accomplished, then the long-term gain will eventually be all his. The squeeze may be subtle at first, but like the adage of the drug dealer who provides a first dose for free, he would do his best to ensure that the trucking companies became dependent on his services. That would in turn diminish their strength, while further bolstering his.

Christopher Westin thought about the theory, and replied, “That’s an interesting point of view Mr. President. From a purely business perspective, such a plan would be brilliant in the long-term. However I still don’t see how that makes Mr. Tillman a fool.”

“Well on the surface it wouldn’t, and that’s why it’s so crafty. However Samuel Tillman has potentially placed his own personal interests of ever increasing wealth and power, which in turn feeds the appetite of the organization, above those of all others. It’s quite possible that the average Texas citizen is not even aware of what has been going on in the legislature and top positions of their government in Austin. Hell Chris, I wish that we had the ability to poll the citizens of Texas. I would bet that the majority of them were not in favor of becoming an independent nation separate from the United States. To that end, I wouldn’t be surprised if Mr. Tillman somehow manipulated the legislative body of Texas into a series of decisions which made such a move possible.”

In noticing that his boss was clenching and unclenching his left fist again, Christopher Westin asked, “That may be Mr. President, and it’s certainly worthy of further discussion. But in the meantime, what would you like me to do about this latest issue?”

“We must get all of our evidence in proper order before moving forward with a definitive presentation, and that will mean that Heath needs to fit all those pieces together in an iron clad bundle. This latest information should be included within that construct, as it could be a vital piece to the puzzle which Heath often speaks of. That being stated, I want to have a private meeting with the Joint Chiefs in the situation room.”

“I understand sir. When would you like that meeting to take place?”

“Sometime this coming Friday will be good, but I don’t want the Joint Chiefs to have advance knowledge of the topic at hand or the fact that Agent Bishop is alive. He will be the one who delivers the briefing, and the few days between now and then should provide him with the time he needs to properly prepare for what must be discussed.”