Richard Stephenson - Resistance

I take this oath not as the second President of the Pacific States of America. It is my dream that one day our nation will be whole again, from sea to shining sea. We will be one nation! I take this oath on the condition that my father was the forty-seventh President of the United States and I am the forty-eighth!

The road before us will be a long one. We are at war against a nation that wants to steal our land. We will fight the Chinese until every last one of their soldiers is gone from our shores! My fellow Americans, the fight does not stop there! We must persevere! The Great Empire of Iran may have lost interest in our nation for the time being, they may not wish to enter the battle just yet, but once we have taken our nation back from the Chinese, our land will be tempting to them again, I assure you! We must be ready for the day when one war ends and another begins. We must be strong, we must be steadfast, and we must believe that our cause is true. We must fight to our last breath to ensure that this nation does not perish!”

President Marshall Beck left the podium to thunderous applause and hugged his wife. He then shook hands with Vice President Maxwell Harris and his wife, Elizabeth. The two stood in front of the crowd and raised their joined hands in pride. After several minutes, the group left the stage, followed by General Richard Dupree and his two children. They climbed aboard the presidential limousine and raced off to the new White House, an exact replica of the old one built not far from the Capitol.

“Mr. President, a fine speech if I may say so, sir,” said Richard.

“Thank you, General. I just wish more than anything I didn’t have to give it in the first place.” Marshall stared out the window, memories of his father weighing heavy on his heart.

“I miss him, too,” said Richard.

Max leaned forward and put his hand on the president’s knee. “Marshall, your father will always be with us. Anytime we make a decision, all we have to do is see it through his eyes and we will never go wrong. The coming fight will be hard, harder than anything this country has faced, but all of us will be there beside you every step of the way.”

The newly elected president thought of his father and knew that with the help of the men and women in his company, he would one day step out from under the shadow of a great man and lead his country to victory.