Jeffrey Rogers was still every bit as cynical as he had been as an NSA intelligence analyst. "We give Island Security too much latitude, Ron," he said, ignoring the Island Security commander seated two chairs to his right. "We do not need to be sending forces off island."
"I agree," interjects Farber. "Projecting power to the periphery is how empires fall, whether you're talking about Rome, England, America, or Sanibel. The center cannot hold. We need to manage our resources. They are plentiful, but not unlimited."
"I am not following this," said Ron Weber, who had come into the board room mid-conversation. "I was on the phone with June."
"General Presswood was sharing with us that he thinks the bulk of this Island crime spree, mostly break-ins and jewelry theft, originates off island. He wants to beef up patrols, which we all agree with, but he wants clearance to follow some of the perpetrators back to the mainland and take out the source," Farber reported. "Is that about it, General?"
Oliver Presswood, commander of the paramilitary mercenaries, Island Security, was typically taciturn at meetings, speaking only when somebody else couldn't get it said. "That's it. Take out their headquarters, otherwise this problem will not go away. Strategy sessions with my officers keep reaching the same conclusion: send the mainlanders a message, or they will continue to test the limits of our patience and the depth of our resolve."
"I don't know about this, people," Cochran spoke up. "I would rather continue to gather evidence before we escalate strategically. We know that some petty thefts are being pulled off by the day laborers that we bring over to the island. We simply do not have enough information about how many robberies are raids from off-island and how many are by day laborers. For all we know it could be a coordinated effort. Day laborers could do the stealing and stash the property in a cache hidden somewhere for a mainlander boat to pick up later. You know the laborers are searched upon arrival and prior to leaving, and Island Security scans our waters with infrared wavelengths. Why are these measures not sufficient? Shouldn't those geosynchronous satellite images alert us to any unauthorized beach landings, General? Isn't that what we pay the big bucks for?"
Eyes turned back to General Presswood. He straightened his spine and considered his response. After a pregnant silence he said, "You are correct, of course. We will do a full scale review, conduct some surreptitious landings ourselves and see if we have holes in our technology or our human resources. We do not tolerate distraction among our monitoring personnel. Thank you, gentlemen." With that conclusion, the general rose to leave. He paused and seemed disappointed that the gathering did not stand as well. He was accustomed to the display of respect from his officers, but realized that he should not expect it from his civilian employers.
