by Andrew Nguyen » Sat Jan 08, 2011 1:34 pm
Chapter 15: Unrest at the combat zone and in the circles of power
US Embassy in Iraq, Green Zone, Baghdad, Iraq
March 17th, 9:30am
The US embassy in Iraq often at times resembled an immense fortress even by the standards of where it was located within the Green Zone of the Iraqi capital. This was the result of the immense number of personnel and the resulting requirements to ensure the facility functioned effectively. For normal operations, it had security that almost at times rivaled Fort Knox and nuclear missile silos back in the US, which included deep security perimeters, buildings heavily reinforced, and five highly guarded entrances that contained the latest in security and detection equipment. However, the security measures also persuaded those that despised the US presence to find ways to beat it or go around it.
As he waited on the steps of the US embassy, Mitchell turned to his Japanese colleague and asked him, "Are you alright Nishimura-san?"
The Japanese general grunted before he remarked, I'd thought that with my previous experience, I would quickly adapt to the weather here."
Letting out a small laugh, Mitchell replied, "If it is any comfort, I'd been here for a while and at times, the weather still bugs the hell out of me. Not to mention the difficulty in trying to replicate the comforts of home."
Both old veterans laughed at that as it helped release the tension they felt. Before they could say anymore, General Ferguson arrived to join them as they waited for the visitors to the American embassy. After exchanging pleasantries, Ferguson jumped into business immediately asking, "How are the defense plans set up?"
Mitchell immediately answered the general, "All of our forces in the city are on full alert and we have a tight cordon around our installations in the city. From outside the city, we can draw in relief columns for reinforcements."
Nodding in agreement at the defense plans as helicopters buzzed over them, Ferguson remarked, "With the security that we have here, hopefully this meeting can go off without a hitch." Both Mitchell and Nishimura nodded in agreement though the two commanders did not share the sentiment of Mitchell's superior. Before they could talk anymore, an aide arrived to announce that their guests had arrived.
In front of the American Embassy, a convoy of limousines arrived at the entrance with tanks and IFVs of the American and Iraqi armies performing guard duty along with the military and local police. Waiting at the entrance for the Iraqi politicians was the US ambassador to Iraq along with a large portion of his personal staff. Once the delegation arrived, all exchanged greets before they entered into the compound.
However as the delegation began to make their way into the inner areas of the compound, the military commanders heard the sounds of mortars to which Mitchell yelled out, "Everyone duck." Most of the people in the compound immediately followed the American general but not all as shrapnel immediately cut them down.
Getting up from the ground, Ferguson roared, "Find out how and where they are mortaring us from." Several American soldiers immediately rushed away from the main group while the rest attempted to get the politicians to relative safer locations. As soon as they had completed that task, the commanders rushed to join their units or to head towards the main command center that controlled all military forces in Baghdad.
In one of the buildings that overlooked the US embassy, several scouts observed the area with binoculars. When they saw the results of the explosions, they passed on the information to mortar teams far further back as they readied to unleash another lethal round of mortars onto the compound. As soon as they saw several enemy AFVs heading their way, the scouters immediately radioed their comrades before most of them began to clear out of the area. Those that remained armed themselves with AKs, RPGs, and other weapons, eager to kill some of their foe before they journeyed to Paradise.
As the tanks and IFVS made their way into the areas of the city surrounding the Green Zone, the soldiers looked warily on as they sensed that they may be running into ambushes. They would prove sadly correct for as the lead elements began to cross through streets and alleyways that had accumulated large amounts of rubble on them, several IEDs went off, showering the columns with fire and splinters. Before anyone could react, several more explosions occurred as the combat groups came under fire from missiles and mortars. Several IFVs brewed up as the rest attempted to find their targets through the smoke and rubble. A few of the IFVs, mainly the M3 Bradleys, started unloading their troops but that left them horrifically exposed and they too ended up destroyed as several RPGs exploded in their rear.
As they endured a hail of missiles and machine gun fire, several tanks had enough of being sitting ducks and soon began to rotate their turrets to search for even the slightest signs of any targets in. However, it proved mostly futile as the insurgents had enormous experience and for those tanks that did attempt to shoot back, all it did was to add to the destruction and confusion occurring all around them.
With short and medium range UAVs as well as helicopters flying overhead, the commanders at Victory Base had a front row seat to the carnage. With its audience watching with grim looks on their faces, the footage from the fighting showed the enemy firing several rounds of mortars and rocket fire before switching positions. Iraqi government forces as well as that from America and the other nations were pushing on, trying to reach those artillery positions but they encountered heavy resistance as the insurgents skillfully switched positions from amongst the wrecked streets to avoid retaliation before taking the columns under fire once more.
Watching as the targets continuously evaded their pursuit, Ferguson cursed and asked one of his subordinates, "Have we been able to pin them down and destroy them?" The subordinate shook his head and Ferguson growled at the troubles his forces were encountering, "Is there any way to get to them quickly."
One of the officers who monitored the battle yelled out, "We might sir." As Ferguson and the rest headed to his location, the officer pulled up a digital map, which showed what he meant. Most of the faces paled while Ferguson and the rest remained ice cold as they watched the battle in front of them.
After watching the battle for several moments, Ferguson turned to one of the others and told them, "Signal some of our forces to go through these highlighted paths to get to those insurgents. Make sure that artillery support is available to them."
The others turned to Ferguson with the Iraqis as well as the G-Force members in shock with what the general had stated. Some immediately began to argue but Ferguson cut them off and said, "We have to take them out or risk having them return to harm us again as they feel that they can do so at their own will. By taking them now, we can eliminate a potential threat that none of us truly need at the moment."
Many looked at each other as if seeking for reassurance or for anyone to advocate a different plan. However, none had and the Iraqi Prime Minister acknowledged the general's words as he said to him, "Do what you have to do, just make sure that this will not bother us again in the near future." With that, Ferguson turned to his fellow generals and told them, "Transmit these orders immediately and stand by to provide the immediate support."
In the areas directly surrounding the Green Zone, the combined forces attempted to grope their way towards their foes. Eventually they had gained success as they recovered from their shock and used the long bitter experience in urban warfare to advance against their foes. However, it took time and casualties and often the success that they had involved the destruction of the surrounding area and unavoidable civilian casualties. When they received the orders, some were shocked while others were eager to try it. As a result, dissention began to break into the ranks as competing aims took hold with some units firing on each other as they attempted to restore order. While most continued on the present course, several, particularly the American units followed the new plans from their superior officers.
Watching as his foes attempted to destroy his men, the insurgent leader let out a small smile at the chaos. Seeing that they had done enough damage for today, the insurgent leader activated a communications link and signaled his rocket and mortar teams to disperse. Turning back to observe the front line action, the insurgent leader then signaled his men to retreat as best they can before he began to head to safety as well.
For the combined ground forces, it seemed that the enemy was clearly determined to stand and fight and taking them out required time, resources, and precious lives. To the Americans, Iraqi and allied ground troops, they felt that the insurgents were operating out of fortresses created by their own firepower. Through sheer perseverance, the troops managed to deal with the insurgents that remained behind to kill as many as they could before they died. At each of the strongpoints that the military attacked, the insurgents would empty every weapon at their disposal, often doing impressive damage. Once they were down to their last rounds, the trapped fighters would commit suicide as they detonated the bombs and grenades around them, achieving the goal of taking down one or two more before it was their time to leave this Earth.
Watching as the fighting died down, those in the Victory Base Complex winced at the destruction that resulted from over two hours of battle. The combined American, Iraqi, and allied nations suffered heavy losses in terms of troops along with several tanks and IFV nearly destroyed while the rest suffered heavy damage. In turn, while they did inflict casualties on the insurgents, it was not in the numbers that they believed constituted a success to report. Furthermore, the destruction and the civilian deaths left angry faces on both the American and Iraqi commanders and politicians for different reasons. As Mitchell and Nishimura looked at the Iraqi politicians, walking icily out of the room, Nishimura turned and whispered to Nishimura, "Well that could have gone better."
With a tinge of sadness in his voice, Mitchell nodded in agreement, "Striking as they did, the insurgents have done damage far beyond their numbers. This will provide ammunition for all those except for us." That statement darkened the faces of the G-Force officers in the room as they considered its damage upon their prospects of focusing on the true war.
Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates
March 18th, 9:40pm
Due to the large presence of foreigners and the increase in military operations, the security at Al Dhafra Air Base as well as nearly all other military bases had tripled in numbers as well as capabilities. To many, it looked like as if the massive airbase was nearly impregnable to outside threats. Although there had been terrorist attacks before in the nearby region, everyone, despite the rank, felt that they could do their jobs in relative peace.
However, that bred arrogance to which the inhabitants of the region were more than eager to exploit. Taking into factor the multiple security measures at this particular base, the terrorists were planning a large surprise for their victims. After observing the actions at their target for many weeks, the assembled group of guerilla fighters decided to strike. Thanks to the large amount of traffic as well as the lingering chaos, several large groups of cars managed to move through the traffic virtually unseen. On the outside, they looked normal but on the inside, they had a very special cargo for the "guests" of the country.
As they made the final approach to the air base, the drivers turned to observe each other for the last time before they silently whispered words that all inhabitants through the region's history stated as they entered into battle. When they had caught sight of the entrance, one of the trucks floored its engine as it headed towards the guard post. The guards barely got off several shots before the large truck collided with the entrance before it exploded in a huge fireball. Before anyone else could react, several more trucks crashed through the gates and began to spread out throughout the area. Some drove off to crash into more buildings or aircraft while the rest disgorged men armed to the teeth with weapons.
Taken by surprise, the few defenders had very little time to react before the intruders quickly cut them down with bursts of gunfire. Spreading around the enormous airbase, they immediately went to work, targeting everything in sight. Within several minutes, sections of the base were on fire along with the surrounding residential areas. Additional fires occurred as the ammunition and fuel dumps went up in huge fireballs along with aircraft parked outside the hangers. Men ran out in confusion with many of them cut down in minutes. Fortunately, some had immediately armed themselves with weapons and they immediately began to defend themselves in the chaos.
Amongst those that were streaming out were the G-Force pilots and personnel stationed at the facility. Once they caught sight of the chaos around them, Carter turned to the others and yelled out, "Find a gun and start shooting." With several explosions occurring in rapid succession, they did not argue with Carter and soon they joined in the defense as they grabbed M-16s and ammo clips before engaging their attackers.
As the main group engaged the defenders on the airfield itself, two other groups began to head towards the control tower. Quickly breaking inside, several attackers rushed up the stairs before they quickly reached the top. Within three minutes, the control center erupted in an enormous explosion from tossed in grenades and explosives.
Carter was busy firing his M-16 when he heard the explosion from the tower, "Bloody Christ." Turning to several of the defenders, the colonel yelled out, "Head to the tower and find any survivors, if there are enemies there then take them out." The men nodded and began to sprit towards the damaged building while Carter and the rest continued to engage the main attackers with heavy gunfire.
On the other end of the battle zone, the leader of the attackers observed their handiwork with satisfaction. Though they had encountered heavy resistance, that was to be expected, what mattered was that they had already achieved their goals. The hangers were wrecked as well as the control tower, the fuel and ammunition dumps were blazing out of control and many of the infidels lay dead. Suddenly he heard a small beep and immediately activated a small communications link, "What is it?"
The voice on the other end of the line yelled out, "Sir we have more infidels en route to your location. We have already set up roadblocks to meet them."
The attack leader nodded before he replied, "Good, hold them for as long as possible before you evacuate. If you cannot then know that you are already en route to Paradise." Switching it off, he turned to his men and told them, "Destroy all before you and if you should fall, know that you are doing so in the service of our people." All the men cheered before they plunged back into the battle.
Ducking as several bullets passed uncomfortably close by him, Carter returned the favor by immediately firing back at his assailants. Reloading, he was about to fire when he spotted an intruder aiming right at him. Fortunately, as he ducked, a shot took out the insurgent. Turning to look at his back, Carter saw Nobunaga along with several others arriving to join him, "Good to see you alright." Before the Japanese office could ask, Carter filled him in, "Most of the facilities have been destroyed and we have heavy casualties."
Before he could reply to the American, Nobunaga blinked his eyes for several moments before he said, "Looks like they're about to take the final steps towards achieving their goal here." All ducked as several heavy mortars exploded on the large airfields, leaving enormous craters in them. As the smoke cleared, Nobunaga spotted several squads of men armed with enormous explosives and that they were placing them on the airstrips. Quickly aiming his Type 89, he signaled everyone, "Take those forces out as soon as possible." Carter and the rest quickly unloaded their weapons but they were too late as the groups of men began to detonate the explosives, adding to the enormous holes already on the airfields. The explosions were powerful enough to make the ground shake from beneath them.
Watching as the bombs detonated all around them, the attack leader let out a small grim laugh at the sight of the destruction that they had unleashed on their foes. While he himself would have loved to take down more before it was his time to leave this world, the attack leader knew in a sense that he had a responsibility to his men. Quietly, the attackers began to fall back under the weight of the pressure from the base defenders.
Seeing that they were falling back, the combined base defenders attempted pursuit but their foes fought back savagely, forcing them to move cautiously due to the score of wreckage littering the base. While most of the insurgents fell back, others hid themselves amongst the wreckage and waited for their enemy with a deadly surprise as several move explosions echoed through the base as they took their own lives.
On the outer reaches of the battle zone, the insurgents had a much tougher time as they fell under heavy attacks from enemy reinforcements, armed with tanks and their own heavy mortars as well as attack helicopters that could get into the air. Running out of ammunition for their own heavy weapons as well as having little actual cover in the desert, the roadblocks that the insurgents had set up soon fell in savage fighting with nearly all of the defenders wiped out.
Meeting up with several officers at a hastily created command post, Carter and Nobunaga learned to their shock just how bad the attack had been. The hangers had been cratered, most of the hangers destroyed as well as the control tower and finally the casualty report, which included a quarter of their own pilots as well. Looking at his own reports, Carter remarked loudly, "Well this has put us out of business for the next few weeks."
Nobunaga nodded as he then said, "Indeed it has unless if there are any undamaged bases that are willing to take us in." He handed Carter a report before continuing on, "However I would not bet on it at all. Still I think we should begin to make the arrangements." Carter could only weakly nod as he read the scale of the damage to similar bases in the region that had occurred in the past several weeks.
Ministry of Defense and Aviation, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
March 21st, 5:30pm
As their limousine headed toward the Saudi Ministry of Defense and Aviation, both Bergen and Carlson looked over the notes that they had for the meeting with the Saudi General Staff. While understanding the need for face-to-face meetings, both admirals as well as their subordinates in the motorcade disliked the nature of the meetings.
Turning to look out at the modern cityscape of the Saudi capital, Bergen turned to ask the female admiral, "Looking forward to this?"
Carlson looked at him with a grim face before she replied, "If it meant getting a way to deal with our guests in an effective manner than I'm all for it", "Other than that, no. "
Bergen let out a small smile before he remarked, "Well if you're not looking forward this then imagine what our hosts must be feeling." That let out a small laugh between the two old friends before he turned to see that they were just about to arrive at their destination and that a large crowd awaited them. Letting out a deep breath, Bergen told Carlson glumly, "Well it's time for the circus." The female admiral nodded before the door opened at Bergen put on his best smile for the hosts that he was looking at, "Thank you for allowing us to hold this meeting."
The Saudi Minister of Defense nodded before he replied, "We both face a common threat to our very existence." He then turned and had an annoyed look on his face at Carlson before he continued on, "I only wish that more of your fellow commanders could have joined us for this meeting."
Bergen had a small grim smile before he answered the Saudi Defense Minister, "I can assure you that the admiral is just as skilled as all of us here and that to ignore her would be a mistake." His host let out a small smile before he directed the visitors into the complex. Shortly afterwards, they found themselves in the presence of other members of the Saudi government to which greetings were exchanged before they got down to business.
Out in the streets of the crowded capital, several groups of cars and trucks began converge on locations near the Ministry of Defense. Once they arrived, most began to disgorge scores of men while in others, several loaded giant canisters into the cargo holds. As the men began to disperse around their target, the trucks drove off to position themselves on the roads that lead to and around the Ministry of Defense.
More than an hour later, the meeting completed as both sides discussed a variety of issues with the meeting sometimes turning very tense as they discussed subject matter that . As Bergen, Carlson, and the rest of the UNGCC party emerged from the Ministry and headed to their limousines, the alarm began to sound. All quickly turned to find out the source of the disturbance, but it was Carlson who spotted it first as she yelled out loud, "Everyone take cover." They barely made it to cover in time as several enormous explosions went off at once all around the compound, the force of the blasts knocking them into the ground. Those that did not paid for it with their lives as shrapnel rained all around them.
It took a few minutes for Bergen to come to his senses following the enormous blasts. Checking his surroundings, he heard the sound of gunfire for several minutes before Carlson yelled out for him to take cover. Bergen quickly followed her advice and immediately dove down behind one of the less damaged limousines. As bullets cracked all around him, the admiral quickly looked for any firearms. He soon managed to grab an M-16 as well as several clips.
Carlson was already firing away at the unidentified attackers despite the fire and explosions still occurring on the grounds of the Ministry of Defense. Focusing her eyes at first on the flashes of the gunfire, she expertly let off several rounds before heading down for cover. Once the smoke began to clear, it gave her a better chance to deal with her targets as she began to pick off the targets close to her. As Bergen joined her, she asked him, "Any chance for reinforcements?"
Bergen nodded before replying, "Reinforcements from the army bases and police are on their way."
Several explosions occurred to force their heads down to which Carlson replied with several quick bursts. Reloading her own M-16, she turned to Bergen and asked, "You ready for this?" He helplessly shrugged before the two returned to exchanging fire with their attackers. After firing several bursts, they immediately switched positions. While Bergen had experience in firearms, he relegated himself to laying down cover fire though he did take down several of the intruders. Carlson had much more success as it seemed that most of the time every shot that she let loose, scored a hit.
Similar firefights occurred all over the compound as the intruders attempted to break in and do as much damage as possible. Although the defenders fought back hard and outnumbered the attackers, they remained disorganized as the intruders continued their rampage though they too suffered heavy losses.
As he walked in amongst the carnage going all around him as if going on a regular stroll, the leader of the attack force, also exchanged fire with his own AK-47 against those that he considered invaders of his homeland. Ducking behind cover, he immediately activated a communications link and asked, "How go the other operations."
The voice on the other end of the line replied, "The attacks go well but we are also running into resistance. Fortunately we have already taken down many of the parasites."
The leader nodded and said, "Good continue on your path and make sure to take down those particularly from the Great Satan and its Asian dog." He then switched off and resumed leading the men directly under his command as they continued to exchange fire in the rubble around the complex. At first, it seemed that they were not making any headway but fortunately, nearly all of them were expert fighters of many long years. Observing the opposition, he immediately spotted what he felt was a gap in their defense, "All warriors, follow me, the rest are to keep them busy." With that, he and several other fighters began to close in on a wrecked entrance to one of the buildings of the Ministry of Defense.
Inside the Ministry of Defense, personnel quickly rushed back and forth, as they attempted to fulfill their orders without having to deal with death hovering right outside. As the generals and princes observed the battle outside, one of them turned to a subordinate and asked harshly, "Have you made any progress in defeating the attackers?" The officer shook his head and began to explain before his superior yelled out at him, "I don't want to hear excuses, destroy these intruders immediately." The officer rushed off while the general turned back to observe the action, "I wonder what made them decide to hit here. To be honest, I wish that they had hit elsewhere, saves us the trouble of defending these places." All turned to look incredulously although they all secretly agreed with his comments.
Back outside, both Bergen and Carlson had been trading fire with their foes for the past thirty minutes. Already taking their fair share of close brushes with death, the two had taken down several of their attackers. Most of the time it was Carlson who had made the kills to which Bergen had no problem as she was more effective at dealing death up close than he was, an odd thought considering what they had done for a living for most of their entire lives even if it was from a distance.
Several explosions caught the attention of the two of them and they immediately ducked as they heard the sounds of mortars. As they emerged from the cover after the explosions of the mortars had dissipated, Bergen and Carlson had an excellent view of the carnage all around them. Bodies lay everywhere amongst the burning vehicles and wreckage. However, many combatants still remained active on both sides as gunfire continued to rage all around them.
Ducking as several rounds passed around him, Bergen searched for the source and immediately let loose with several rounds before heading back down to cover. Checking the amount of ammunition he had on hand, Bergen turned to Carlson and asked, "So what do you think what we're facing."
Sneaking up to look herself at the fighting, Carlson replied grimly, "The whole compound is under attack and right now it's on a knife's edge. Judging by the carnage we are facing, we are the target along with the Saudi general staff and that our foes are veterans. If we can only get some choppers in then we could turn this around." Another wave of explosions sent the two scurrying for cover as they returned fire at several insurgents. Reorienting her bearings, Carlson caught sight of several of their comrades and their subordinates directing them to their location. Alerting Bergen, the former special operations operator began to sprint to the location of their comrades while continuously exchanging gunfire with the attackers.
Once they regrouped with their own forces, the two officers conferred with their fellow officers and they all began to formulate a plan, based on their experiences in the recent Middle Eastern wars. As they attempted to take control of the situation, the gathered group heard an enormous explosion in the main compound. Turning to watch, all winced before they divided their forces with Carlson going in with several others into the main Defense Ministry compound, Bergen and the rest would handle the intruders outside and prevent any more intruders from breaking inside.
Heading into the Ministry, Carlson and the others quickly caught up with the attackers who immediately opened fire on them. Fortunately, they quickly ducked in in time as bullets flew by them. To the surprise of most of the others, she quickly took aim and let loose several rounds with most hitting their targets in critical areas. Quickly the enemy retaliated but she managed to gain cover while awaiting another chance to shoot back at her assailants.
As the room shook from beneath them, the Saudi General staff attempted to coordinate a response as intruders had entered into the main compound buildings. Seeing that the insurgents had penetrated inside, some of the commanders of the security were ordering their forces to assist while the rest told their men to fight their way out and leave the rest to their own devices.
Out in the ground, Bergen and the rest attempted to deal with the remaining attackers that had not infiltrated into the multiple buildings. While Bergen and several others remained in stationary positions while attempting to establish contact with air cover, the rest attempted to clear the areas surrounding them. As reinforcements arrived into the battle and consolidated themselves into defensive positions, mixed battle groups set out to clear the surrounding areas urban areas where the insurgents had dug themselves in. With cover fire from the armored cars and IFVs, squads of men began to make their way into the urban strongholds that the attackers fortified during their assault on the Saudi government buildings.
Although they temporarily had the advantage, the attackers were operating under tremendous pressure as enemy reinforcements began to arrive. Several already began to retreat in a disorganized fashion and though the rest held their ground, they suffered heavy casualties as they were running low of anti-tank missiles as well as anti-air weapons.
As several squads of AH-64s and Mi-24s arrived over the area, their pilots watched in awe as the battle raged below them. While a few took stray shots at targets of opportunity with their machine guns, the rest waited for accurate information before they engaged with their firepower as they were in a densely populated urban area. They would not have to wait long as the ground commanders, elated by their presence immediately began to transmit the location of targets to the helicopter squadrons.
If the insurgents felt hard pressed before on the ground side, the sound of rotating blades, followed by the sight of the huge hovering craft of death sent shivers through their spines as many believed that death was coming straight for them. A few turned their weapons onto the helicopters as they unleashed their firepower, killing them all in seconds. The sight was enough to elicit awe from the ground forces, even the Americans who had served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere in the Middle East.
In the main compounds of the Saudi Ministry of Defense, hard fighting ensured as the outnumbered attackers managed to hold off the defenders. With experience from all over the Middle East, they made the government forces and their allies fight hard for every kill. Though they did not reach the princes and the generals, the insurgents had killed several dozen personnel and did tremendous damage to the rooms that they managed to reach.
Making her way through the halls and rooms, Carlson expertly took out targets with one or two shots from her M-16. Several of her colleagues were close behind her, taking out their own targets and ensuring that there were no more foes remaining. It was a slow and deadly process with even the veterans falling into ambushes from foes who had much more battle experience and from which they barely escaped with their lives.
As she and her group made its way up towards where another group of insurgents was located, she heard gunfire from down the corridor. Motioning to her comrades, she silently made her way to the sound of the gunfire to which she found several minutes later. Wasting little time, she aimed and started taking shots at her opponents who realized too late that she was there in one or two shots each. In short order, the last of the insurgents had been taken out with the only people remaining standing were friendlies. Making her way through the dead bodies, she met up with a colonel who stiffly saluted, "Any more targets in the area."
The colonel answered Carlson professionally if a bit haltingly, "Negative, we've taken care of all enemies in the complex itself. We're inspecting about our own losses."
Nodding, Carlson then signaled her thanks before walking off to find a place from which she could contact her colleagues on the outside. In a few minutes, she was online, "It's me. How are things on your end?"
The voice on the other end shrugged in heavy exhaustion before replying, "We're mostly finished out here, the last of the resistance has ceased." Bergen paused for a moment before he continued on, "It's a bloody mess out here. Scores dead along with several dozen vehicles destroyed out here. We are still looking over our own casualties but it seems we were lucky. Whoever organized this well they did a thorough job."
Letting out a deep breath, Carlson remarked in an equally exhausted tone, "Well it's a mess in here as well. They did a very thorough job and left many dead personnel behind as well. You'd think that we'll be holding another immediate meeting."
Bergen shook his head and remarked wearily, "After this type of carnage, I don't think so. Furthermore, it would devolve into a shouting match if we did. We've set up a field command post to coordinate the situation."
Carlson nodded and said, "I'll join you out there shortly. I want to make an inspection, see if I could find anything about the identity of our attackers." With that, both signed off as she began to make her way through the wreckage while checking out to see if she could identify any suspects. She took a small speak and the actions of the soldiers not from G-Force and kept it in mind to pass to her colleagues later for future reference as they took stock of the madness they had just endured but did not want to endure.
White House,
March 25th, 7:53pm:
As the secret service cleared him to enter the White House, Ambassador Okamura mused about the fact that he had become very familiar with the layout of the home of the President of the United States.
Walking through the hallway, Okamura immediately spotted Redford and headed to him. When he got a good look at the face of the US secretary of defense, Okamura asked his fellow war veteran, "Are you alright Redford-San?"
Redford nodded before he then added, "I haven't been getting much sleep but then again none of us are." He paused for a moment before admitting in half-jest, "I'm surprised that none of us have checked in to the insane asylum."
Okamura winced for a moment before he thought of the situation that he himself was dealing with before he replied "Well perhaps it's no small blessings that the great task that we have can help us overcome these difficulties."
Redford nodded as he replied, "I guess you're right about that", "In fact from time to time, I look back to photos from the previous war in order to remind myself what is at stake and what we committed ourselves to."
Before they could continue the conversation, a Secret Service agent stepped up and announced to them both while focusing on Redford, "Sir, the other delegates will be arriving shortly."
Redford nodded and turned to the Japanese ambassador, "Alright then, we better get going then." His colleague nodded and they began to head to the Oval Office with the rest of the delegates following on behind them. President Calhoun and most of the NSC were already there and the rest would arrive shortly before the arrival of the Middle Eastern delegates.
As soon as he saw the SecDef and the Japanese ambassador arrive, the president put on his best political smile and said to Okamura, "I wish to thank you for arriving at this meeting on short notice."
Unfazed by the tone in Calhoun's voice, Okamura answered, "Do not worry Mr. President I have grown used to attending meetings on short notice." Pausing for a moment, he continued on, "Be also assured that I have been contacted by Tokyo to voice the opinions that my country may have towards the meeting here tonight."
Pat Miner let out a snort before he said to the Japanese ambassador/UNGCC officer, "This should be interesting seeing you playing multiple sides down the middle."
With Redford gently restraining him, Okamura answered Miner, "I can assure you that my countrymen have the most at stake in succeeding in this war and that despite our resources, we will pursue it to the bitter end." Turning to Redford and some of the other Americans who were part of the UNGCC, he continued on, "Our allies feel the same way and anyone who wishes to truly join us in combating this threat, we will be more than welcome."
Miner was about to reply back to that statement but a Secret Service agent emerged in the room to announce to them all that the Middle Eastern delegates had arrived. All instinctively turned as the ambassadors from the Arab nations had arrived into the Oval office. As they shook hands with the American and Japanese, the ambassadors took their seats before the business of tonight got underway.
Turning to the Arab ambassadors, Calhoun opened proceedings, "I want to thank you all for accepting the invitation to meet. We have many matters to discuss that we all hope can strengthen the alliance and friendships between us all." Turning to the SecDef and the Japanese ambassador, the US president then remarked in an icy tone, "As we have been told, such alliances are our only chance to survive this crisis."
The Egyptian ambassador nodded in agreement before he answered back, "Yes, we truly do have much to discuss." He then spoke to the entire room, "Though we appreciate the assistance that you have provided to help us, we feel that we feel that the actions that you have taken speak otherwise."
Redford, Okamura, Lawrence and several others gulped while the rest remained stone silent as the Saudi ambassador passed around several photos, which showed the devastated battlefields. After looking at the last of the photos, Okamura replied, "I can assure you that the commanders fully understand their orders and have followed them to the best of their ability."
His tone turning icy, the Saudi ambassador turned to the Japanese ambassador and said, "Oh really them, how do you explain the results. What you and the forces have done during the past months have outdone themselves many times over in the destruction that we have had to suffer."
Redford immediately stood up straight as he looked at the ambassador straight in the eye, "It would have been infinitely worse. Either your countries would have received crippling damage or the price of victory would have been too bitter for any that survived."
Although Calhoun, Miner and several others enjoyed the exchange, the president felt that he had to intervene, "Everyone calm down alright. Ambassador Okamura, as you can see from these images, do you believe that the ambassadors have a valid point."
Taking a long deep breath to calm himself down, "All I can say is that we have taken every conceivable precaution to minimize damage and casualties and will continue to do so. If you have any suggestions on furthering such cooperation, then we will consider it."
The Egyptian ambassador nodded before stating to Okamura, "We have a list of suggestions that we would like for you to have and we have already sent the same information to Tokyo." He handed the Japanese ambassador the information before returning quietly to his seat.
Looking over their own copies, the UNGCC members all had dark looks on their faces before Okamura told the others in Oval Office, "As I stated before, we will look over this information that you have presented to us. " The look on the eyes of the Arabs said enough of what they thought of the answer.
Seeing a need to turn the tables and get things back on track, Redford remarked to the guests, "There is one way that we can improve our relations." He nodded to one of the aides who activated a screen, which showed footage of destroyed installations, all of them wrecked under human hands, "You can help us with the security situation that has been developing as of late.
The Arab ambassadors recoiled at this statement before the Saudi ambassador told harshly, "We have provided every amount of assistance. If there are any weaknesses, it's due to your part for multiple reasons."
Redford thought about it for a moment before he answered the Egyptian, "Perhaps but you yourselves can do more to help rectify the security situation. Our examinations of the recent incidents show that at least some of them had inside help."
That unleashed a torrent of anger from the Arab delegation as they angrily rebuked the US SecDef's comments. Although this added on the headaches that Calhoun was feeling, he and the rest understood the SecDef's point as he jumped into the fray, "Gentlemen, let us all calm down for a moment." When the noise level went down, the president of the United States continued on, "The secretary of defense does make an important point. The attacks, particularly on a scale that we have seen as of late present a troubling development. "
The Egyptian ambassador solemnly nodded before saying to the president, "We also share your concern and that my colleagues and I assure you that we are taking every conceivable step to deal with the restive elements."
The UNGCC members looked at each other as they exchanged a silent thought that all had after hearing that pronouncement from the Arab ambassadors. After a long silence, Okamura told the Egyptian, "Perhaps you might wish to reconsider your tactics in dealing with these restive elements."
The Egyptian turned to look at Okamura with an angry growl before he remarked, "If we do so then eventually they will crush us and then who do you think will be their next target when we're gone. We have to stop it at the source before it manifests itself."
Before the arguments could progress any further, Calhoun jumped in, "That will be enough for now on this matter gentlemen." Turning to the Egyptian ambassador, the president of the United States then stated, "While we understand the situation that you're in, we also value the notion of human rights as we feel that it wins the support of the people in an emergency no matter what disagreements may arise."
The Saudi ambassador replied, "Perhaps but at times it may not be suited for the situation at hand." He then paused for a moment as before continuing on, "There is a way that you may be able to provide help on that front." As their hosts steeled themselves, the Saudi ambassador finished by stating, "Find a way to deal with the issue of Palestine and then you will find us working behind you."
Calhoun immediately answered back at the ambassador's words, "I assure you that we are doing everything that we can to solve the situation and that all plans are being considered to calm tensions down."
The Egyptian twitched before he told the president, "Have you really tried everything to force the Israelis to consider peace over their own interests?", "From what the world has seen, it's the same old story once more of you functioning as their stooges. Even when you have attempted to make a breakthrough, you pull back at the last minute even when the lives of your countrymen are at stake."
Most of the Americans bristled while Redford and the rest remain silent before Miner answered back harshly, "I can assure you, we have tried everything possible to calm things down between the Israelis and Palestinians. Perhaps you can do more to reign in the Palestinians."
Growling, the Jordanian ambassador told Miner, "We have done everything that we could and in fact have gone beyond them. In turn, we have paid the price for it with assassination attempts, what have you done on your end?"
The National Security Advisor was about to reply when Calhoun interceded, "We understand your position and will try to accommodate it. In turn, we truly hope that you understand our position on the matter and that we cannot negotiate that matter without being in good faith. One way we can is buy all of you actually beginning to negotiate with Israel."
The members of the Arab delegation looked at each other before the Saudi told the president, "I'm afraid that at this stage that it would not be possible, in fact speaking for myself, I think that I'd rather eat pigs then negotiation with an entity that holds my fellow countrymen and believers in the worst type of slavery imaginable."
Looking into their eyes, Redford sensed that they were deadly serious, yet he attempted to reason with them, "Whether you like it or not, you're going to have to work together and better you do so now. For these kaiju will not spare anyone."
Okamura then added, "By working together, you'll also be able to reduce casualties amongst your forces." Nodding to one of the others, he continued, "As you can see here, in the most recently firefights that Arabs and Israelis have participated in, both sides have suffered heavy casualties and furthermore, both sides have held back assets that could have proven vital in fighting Godzilla and the rest effectively. Finally it will be able to take the strain off of us."
The Arabs looked at each other before the Egyptian ambassador told the Japanese ambassador, "We have already made our position crystal clear and feel that there is nothing to discuss on the matter at the present time."
Calhoun nodded and said in an equally stern tone, "I also agree as well and hope you understand that we can never negotiate our own position, particularly what happened with my predecessor."
The room turned silent for several moments before Redford attempted to switch to other matters, "So what is the status of your forces?"
The ambassadors nodded to their attaches who then inserted several USB drives into the computers in the room. In several seconds, the Americans and Japanese had the requested information as the Egyptian spoke first, "As you can see, we would hope that you would be able to resupply our forces at the earliest opportunity with your latest weapons. Furthermore, we would like to increase the cooperation of our respective military forces."
Both the Americans and Japanese looked at each other for several moments before Calhoun remarked back, "We'll have to talk it over later but I believe that we can grant most of your requests."
Okamura then added, "I would also have to share in the agreement with the president and I believe that my superiors in Tokyo are considering that right now as they received a similar request recently."
The meeting continued long into the night as they continued to discuss the details of the issues confronting them, sometimes in a heated manner. After a long night, Calhoun let out a deep breath before, he stated, "Perhaps it's time for some of us to retire for now as it seems we are not able to achieve anything more for the meeting." The others in the room nodded in tired agreement and soon they began to file out of the doors.
Before they departed, Redford, Okamura, and the other G-Force commanders sneaked a glance at the president and the Arab ambassadors and the looks on their faces chilled their spines. When they were walking down the hall, the US Secretary of Defense turned to look at the Japanese ambassador and asked, "What do you think just happened in there?"
Okamura shook his head before answering, "I think that well I think that secret deals have been exchanged with us none the wiser." Pausing for a moment to look around, he then added, "I apologize if we have put you and the others in a terrible position with your president."
Redford shook his head before he replied, "Don't worry too much about it I'm also having the same feelings of worry about the president and the rest of the cabinet. Though I think they do understand the gravity of the situation, I don't think that they have truly accepted it." Pausing for a moment, to let it sink, I think that we should keep a very close eye on things here in Washington."
Okamura nodded before he then added, "I think that we may have to intensify activities in all our embassies to find out if the world is truly committed, for if not then I fear that all our efforts will come to naught."
All nodded before Redford remarked, "Well then we'll have to do our very best and hope that we get lucky then." The others agreed though their faces still held traces of worry as they departed to their respective destinations.
UNGCC Field Headquarters, Manama, Bahrain
April 1st, 4:30am
For those that worked at the headquarters in a permanent capacity, a routine day consisted of mostly boredom punctuated by short instances of terror, mainly at the hands of the inhabitants of the region. Though they did not have to go through what their superiors or their comrades had to go through, they still had an important job as the equipment that they used served as part of the massive communications network that coordinated the large force committed to the region.
As he walked into the main command center, Tachibana turned to the watch officer and asked, "So anything of interest today."
Keeping his eyes on the activities of the others, the watch officer replied, "Things seem to have quieted down. We have intermittent sightings of the monsters but so far nothing concrete. The Super X-III and the Garuda II have just touched down along with their maintenance crews and will be ready for combat shortly."
Tachibana nodded before he asked, "Any word on those incidents."
The watch officer shook his head, "Nothing new. We had been tracking Godzilla but after each sinking, he manages to disappear. Furthermore most of the incidents have occurred over a wide area."
Looking at one of the maps on the screen, Tachibana spotted the numerous surveillance assets already in the area as well as the massive military forces in the neighboring areas. Although it proved somewhat of a risk, he had arranged his forces so to create a large reserve. Everyone agreed though some worried that it would leave them shorthanded should they face one of the more powerful kaiju. Nodding in approval, Tachibana replied, "Alright, I will be in my quarters, alert me if something goes on."
He was about to depart when the alarms started to ring to which the Watch Officer immediately told the lower level officers to get in touch right away. Rushing to one of the consoles, the watch officer asked one of his men, "Where is the signal coming from?" The operator replied, "It's in the Gulf of Aden, coordinates coming in. We just got audio and visual."
Tachibana immediately yelled out, "Put it on the main screen." Within seconds of the footage coming online, his face took on a grim look amongst most of the rest as they saw who it was.
After a few minutes, Tachibana turned to one of his subordinates and asked, "Pull up the Red Sea map with all of the recent shipping incidents." Within seconds, the map of the region appeared alongside the footage of the ship attack to which Tachibana asked, "Are our surveillance units ready to go?" One of his subordinates nodded to which Tachibana replied, "Then order them into the area to shadow the target. Also alert all forces to prepare for immediate re-deployment."
JDSHuyga, Arabian Sea
5:30am
Already on the bridge, Omori was busy looking out on the horizon when he received word from Bahrain about the sinking and the perpetrator. After looking at the information for a minute, Omori turned to one of his fellow officers and yelled out, "Signal all ships to battle stations and contact the others."
Three minutes later, both Bergen and Carlson came on the land and before Omori could ask, Bergen quickly said, "We just got word Omori-San and we're about to get underway as well."
Carlson then said, "At present Godzilla is immediately out of range of us, if we move in at flank speed, it take us four hours to get into range and several additional hours if we plan to engage Godzilla effectively." She paused for a moment before adding, "Fortunately all ships in our respective task forces have just completed a un-rep and we're ready to commence a full-speed run."
Omori, nodded before he said, "We're just about finished here and will join you shortly. Our other forces have been alerted and many of those are converging onto the area." With that, transmission ceased and the admiral turned to look back outside at the warships that surrounded his own. Some still had replenishment ships alongside them though Omori had learned just before headquarters had contact him that they were just about to finish. Brining up a map of the potential battle area and the forces available, Omori hoped that they would finish quickly for with the possibility of battle underway, he felt, like all G-Force field commanders, that he needed to be present there.
All around the Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, and Arabian Sea
On the ground, multiple ground units were already on the move as they prepared to head southwest although some remained to deal with threats from other kaiju. While some boarded the C-17s that were available on hand, most boarded flatbed trucks that soon drove off to the east coast. MP from all of the nations in the area helped cover and direct the large amount of forces heading on the roads from the east to the west coast of Saudi Arabia.
At an air base, scores of fighters and cargo planes occupied the runways with the fighters fully fueled and loaded while the cargo planes conducting most of the operations. Heading into the bases were scores of trucks and tank crawlers, all of them jammed packed with troops and vehicles. As each vehicle arrived at the airbases, they unloaded their cargo to which the controllers immediately directed to the waiting C-17s and other immense cargo planes.
In one particular C-17, several UNGCC commanders were preparing to journey southwest. As they prepared to board their aircraft, an aide ran up to them, "Sir, General Tachibana is here."
That caught the group's attention, as they were busy packing up and looking over the latest situation reports. They all immediately stood up at attention as the general arrived, "I wanted to brief you all before you headed down to towards Godzilla's location." The others nodded before Tachibana continued while pointing at one of the maps, "Once you arrive, you will take overall command of all G-force units in these areas." None of the officers shook their heads, instead they all had grim determined looks on their faces before Tachibana smiled and said, "Good luck gentlemen." With that, he stepped off the plane and headed some distance away from the C-17 as it taxied down the runway before ascending to the sky to join the huge fleet of planes heading to the southwest.
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Author's notes:
-It took a while for me to pull off the events in the chapter and even then, I am perhaps rightfully afraid that I didn't do it correctly or enough to give an idea of what threats usually occur these days. It was mostly intentional that I focused on situations that involved G-Force personnel to show the other things that they have to deal with this time around in this new fight that they face.
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Author's questions:
-I hope that I have shown that the G-Force field commanders are in a foul mood after dealing with the events in this chapter.
Last edited by
Andrew Nguyen on Wed Feb 09, 2011 5:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I got no problem with anybody who jumps into a Starfury and rides fire! (Babylon 5)