Headquarters for Douglas and his officers was a former hotel and restaurant constructed about ten years ago from recycled cypress. It exuded old world charm with a wrap-around porch peppered with rocking chairs, and an ornate bar with dark woods, and large doors that opened out to the veranda. It was at this location, in oversized wicker chairs outside the bar, on the battleship grey planking of the wide porch, that Douglas and his officers congregated with whiskey and cigars to discuss their warlord affairs.
The scene was eerily void of conversation. This is spooky, thought one of the junior officers, a Captain Thomas, a local recruit with no formal military training. "How can we plan missions if no one speaks?" he whispered.
"Hush!" snapped a nearby veteran; and chastened, Thomas fell silent, watching the seasoned officers take draws on their cigars and sips from their tumblers.
The challenges presented to leadership were understood, and laughably mundane. It was a recurring dilemma for a marauding paramilitary force: how to pay and feed warriors after years of plunder had stripped the region of its low-hanging fruit. Expeditions were branching further out and soon the risk would be that of violating treaties and territories of allies.
Douglas knew that it was only a matter of time until he would bring his forces to bear against the defenses of Sanibel's famed Island Security. What they lacked in numbers, only two or three hundred by reports from his men who doubled as day laborers, they made up for in sophisticated surveillance and weaponry. Still the island was such a great temptation that Douglas bordered on obsessing about an invasion. He had even moved his headquarters to this lovely hotel retreat on Pine Island, where with binoculars he could monitor first hand some of the activities of the forbidden fruit.
"Let's look at the maps again," Douglas barked, and the men followed him into the bar. Major Brody and Colonel LaFerla went behind the bar, set the box of maps on the bar and began spreading them over the dark wood. They turned up the lights to their brightest level and all gathered around.
"There is too much that we do not know," said Colonel LeFerla.
"Let's begin with what we do know," said Douglas.
