Cannon Air Force Base’s private little civil war was a vicious affair. Those moving to arrest the base commander and bring Cannon under the new President’s control were elite Special Forces. Those standing in their way included Rear Echelon Marginal Fighters who were almost as dangerous to their friends as those they were trying to stop. Multiple Special Forces teams joined them, but they were trying to catch up with teams already armed, armored, and on their way. Casualty rates skyrocketed as the battle raged on the ground, below ground, and in the air above the base. The fighting shattered most of Cannon’s teams, gutted their aircraft, and set the base itself on fire in dozens of locations. Only a single team and a handful of aircraft remained fully operational in the end, but they and the surviving base staff spread word of what happened throughout the military networks. That and their intention to support Texas. It was a chilling message for the entire American military.