Operation Good Samaritan

[GovernorGeneral]

I wrote this in high school, I believe in roughly 2007. It concerns what would happen if in 2009 the new US President decides to honor America's anti-genocide obligations and protect the people of Darfur, Sudan by military force. It is vaguely Tom Clancy in style, but not as well written. I am posting this partly for its literary value, partly in honor of the victims of ISIL in the middle east who so desperately need the true air power of the great democratic powers to protect them, and partly because I can't seem to continue my other timelines right now. I will be posting the chapters as they were written without any substantial edits, so there will likely be errors, but the sentiments are all there nonetheless.

I find it interesting that as a perhaps overeager teenage boy who wanted the US to bomb Omar al Bashir's forces I researched military hardware to see how feasible this could be, largely ignoring the political issues associated with this. I later went to college, studied abroad in west Africa for a semester where I had my views on universal morality and human decency cemented by the welcoming people I met and lived with there, and took all sorts of classes on myriad international affairs topics. One would think I would become more 'realistic' in my assessments of the world, and in many ways I have. My educated response to mass atrocities and genocide is still the same now as it was then, however. Bomb the bastards until they issue their unconditional surrender or have no further military capabilities.

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Operation Good Samaritan

Prologue

Refugee Camp, Darfur, Sudan October 3rd, 2009

Timothy Jones was one of many international aid workers is Darfur. Yesterday, he had helped unload crates of foodstuffs from a privately owned Boeing 777 freighter. What the residents of the camp, in addition to the majority of the aid workers, did not know, was that four of the crates contained between them twenty M4 rifles, 6,000 rounds of ammunition, sixty 40mm grenades, and twenty sets of night vision goggles and secure radios. Timothy Jones was a member of an unorthodox international aid organization. He and nineteen others had been stationed in this particular refugee camp as protectors for the nearly 700 refugees living in it. Organizations such as Red Cross, World Vision, and UNICEF did not allow its volunteers to carry weapons, let alone military assault weapons. In Timothy’s mind, this was because many people accepted that the situation in Darfur could be bettered by humanitarian relief, but still felt that using force was unwarranted. For them, even wounding a member of the Janjaweed (an organization financed by and working for the Sudanese government) to protect innocent civilians was wrong.

When various national governments had refused to commit military resources to actually ensure a peaceful resolution to the genocide in Darfur, many people banded together to resolve it themselves. Timothy Jones, or Commander Jones, as his men knew him, was in charge of the first Peace Brigade unit sent undercover to Darfur. Heavily modified, privately owned Unmanned Air Vehicles patrolled the skies overhead, bristling with cameras and surveillance equipment. They were operated off of a vessel in the Red Sea that was allegedly doing marine biology research. The operators on the Valiant were also part of this organization. When the UAVs detected what appeared to be preparations for another large-scale attack on a refugee camp, they advised their headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia to mobilize the first unit early.

That was four days earlier. Commander Jones was confident that his unit would be able to surprise the Janjaweed when they attacked, but was not sure they had enough firepower. If waiting another two months had been an option, they would have been accompanied by an additional thirty-five Peace Brigade soldiers, as well as mortars, heavy machine guns, and two UH-60 Blackhawk gun ships, armed with 2.75 inch rockets and two .50 caliber machine guns. As it was, every available soldier and piece of equipment had been sent.

As he walked toward his tent early in the evening, he noticed a glint in the distance. Calmly, as he had done twice that day already, he put his thumb on the face of his watch and spoke aloud the words, “Possible threat.” This had the effect of the other nineteen Peace Brigade soldiers hearing in one of their ears the words that ordered them to go to one of two tents with cached weapons. Instantly, they stopped what they were doing and calmly but swiftly walked to these tents. When they arrived, they picked of a set of “optional equipment”, and proceeded to the perimeter of the camp. The weapons were thoughtfully encased in plywood boxes with a red cross embossed on one side. This prevented the residents of the camp from realizing who the Peace Brigade people really were. When Commander Jones saw the cloud of dust rising from where he had seen the glint of sunlight, he again pressed his thumb on his watch and spoke aloud, “Situation?” and uncovered his watch.

In his ear he heard the words, “Valid threat, repeat, valid threat. Authorization Foxtrot-Oscar-Oscar-Lima. Execute. Execute. Execute.” Startled, the Peace Brigade Commander again pressed his thumb to his watch and yelled, “SANDSTORM! SANDSTORM! SANDSTORM!” As one, the twenty Peace Brigade soldiers threw the lids off of the plywood cases donned their night vision goggles, put their ammo/ grenade vests on, and grasped their assault rifles. The startled refugees and aid workers started to panic, and some screamed. The Peace Brigade soldiers ignored this and began sprinting to their assigned posts. In their ears, they heard information via the Valiant that originated from one of the UAVs. According to its cameras, the Janjaweed were divided among three pickup trucks, one ancient army truck, and eleven horses. Altogether, there were nearly sixty of them.

The crew of the Valiant was frantically trying to ready one of the UAVs for a sortie nearly five hours ahead of schedule. When the onboard computer has ready, with the mission profile programmed in, and it had been fueled and readied for takeoff, the UAV was fired off the bow of the modified research vessel by a steam catapult similar to those found on full-blown aircraft carriers. As it slowly climbed to its optimum altitude of 25,000 feet, its single propeller ran flat out to move the small drone through the air at 140 knots.

Commander Jones knew that this little bar fight was likely to be over before the second UAV arrived on scene, but it had to be sent in case the first was neutralized. Do to their being based on a small ship that could barely launch them as they were, the UAVs could not be armed with weapons such as hellfire missiles or cluster bombs that would make them two heavy to “shoot” off with the catapult. Still, Commander Jones knew that he had to do what he could, with or without air support. Such being the case, he knew that each pair of PB soldiers would have one grenade launcher between them. Although grenade launchers were not as nice as mortars or gun ships, they still provided decent firepower. The first burst of gunfire, probably from an AK-47, was silenced by one of these. Nearly everyone in the camp was screaming. As the Peace Brigade soldiers engaged the Janjaweed militiamen, Commander Jones knew that if they failed, at least five hundred innocent civilians would be raped and/ or murdered. As predicted, the Janjaweed were not expecting such organized resistance form ex-military personnel. They sheer enormity of the Janjaweed force’s firepower and numbers slowly but surely pushed back the PB soldiers. Already, just three minutes into the fighting, forty-seven civilians and four PB soldiers had been killed.

The tide turned, however, when three PBs simultaneously fired grenades, destroying the three pickups, and neutralizing a half of the remaining enemy force. Superior training, doctrine, and equipment can trump even superiority in numbers. As quickly as it had begun, it was over. The Janjaweed forces retreated, chased by 5.56mm rounds and 40mm grenades. The total casualties from the battle were more than one hundred civilians dead, nine PB soldiers dead, and thirty-four Janjaweed militiamen dead. As horrible as the outcome of the battle was, the surviving Peace Brigadiers knew that more than four times as many people would have been killed without them.

October 4th, 2009

In the morning, Commander Jones was approached by one of the aid workers. “I am with UNICEF. My name is Marie Beauregard. I want to thank you for what you and your followers did. If you are American Special Forces, please give my thanks to the U.S. government.” Commander Jones fought the urge to yell out that he was not in the U.S. military, and that the previous administration did not want to commit the necessary forces to securing peace in the region. Instead, he smiled and said, “You are welcome for our services. However, we are not part of the U.S. military, or for that matter, any country’s military. As much as my organization and I would like the U.S. military to help, they haven’t, and probably won’t anytime soon. If they did, the Peace Brigade would not be needed.” He paused to close his eyes and again ask himself why so many people had died. When he opened them, Marie was crying, tears streaming down her face. She began screaming about how unfair and evil it was for unarmed civilians to be attacked and brutally murdered. Timothy empathized with her loss of her close friend and fellow aid worker. He vowed that the injustice in Darfur would end, one way or another. After helping Marie to the UNICEF tent, Timothy gathered the remaining ten Peace Brigadiers under his command and informed them that Headquarters had decided to pull them back to the Valiant until reinforcements could be sent. A surplus Marine Corps Super Stallion transport helicopter arrived later in the day to convey them to the research vessel, landing sixty yards outside the camp.

The pilot was the daughter of a prominent US senator. When Rachael Summer’s father had introduced a bill that provided for military intervention in Darfur two years ago, she had been out of college for a few years, and was volunteering with the American Red Cross. At the time, she was not speaking with her father, because she felt using force to solve the “issue” in Darfur was wrong. That all changed seven weeks into her visit to Darfur: she had witnessed the murder of seventeen children, and barely escaped with her life. After the American Red Cross ignored her plea that armed guards accompany the relief efforts, she joined the Peace Brigade. When she joined, the organization could barely afford the plane tickets to send teams of three or four protectors to one or two of the refugee camps. In April, 2009, the Peace Brigade had received an anonymous donation of 8 billion dollars. This had gone towards purchasing state of the art equipment, most prominently the UAVs and support ship. While the governments of the world argued about who was responsible for ending the genocide, the Peace Brigade had built itself into a force that had equipment personnel that rivaled that of a Marine Battalion. Even so, it was woefully inadequate when it came to truly protecting the refugees in Darfur and restoring peace, and what happened next indicated.

As the Sea Knight helicopter lifted off the desert sand and began its flight to the Red Sea and the Valiant, a Nanchang A-5 Fantan fighter bomber of the Sudanese Air Force buzzed overhead and released a fuel air explosive bomb. When the device was about one hundred meters above the ground, it released a cloud of fuel vapor. A detonator then ignited the fuel, creating a fireball and shockwave that obliterated the refugee camp and left six hundred and ninety four people dead. The A-5 then looped around and fired a burst of 23mm cannon fire at the rising helicopter. In the Super Stallion, Rachael fought the controls to bring the damaged craft back to stable flight. Unfortunately, the fuel air explosive bomb and the cannon fire had shattered the windows and glass dials in the cockpit. This left the Super Stallion in danger of crashing, which it did. The nose of the helicopter slammed into the sand of the desert floor, and the passengers of the craft were saved by their restraints. Commander Jones quickly ordered everyone to get out of the helicopter, which turned out to be a good idea, because the fuel tanks erupted in a fireball four minutes later. As the sun crept toward the Horizon, the small band of Peace Brigadiers struck out across the desert in the direct of the nearest refugee camp. They would be required to travel a distance of thirty-two miles. The aid workers had become like those they helped: helpless refugees. The difference was, they were furious at what had happened, and most of them were armed.

After traveling roughly five miles, the group stopped so that Commander Jones could report in to Headquarters via satellite phone. He knew the Valiant could not risk sending its other Super Stallion rescue them without protection from the fighters now patrolling overhead. After putting the phone away, he donned his backpack and led the group on a long walk through the night.

 

[GovernorGeneral]

Chapter 1

The White House, Washington D.C., U.S.A.
1100, October 5th, 2009

Senator Samuel Summer placed the folder on the President’s desk, and waited while he skimmed over the papers inside. “Well? What do you want to do?” The angry Senator demanded. He had heard about the “accident” concerning his daughter the previous evening, and had grabbed his cell phone. After spending nearly two hours on the phone with various people, including the Peace Brigade Deputy Director of Operations, the Peace Brigade CEO, the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and The Commander in Chief of Central Command (CINCCENCOM), Senator Summer had been able to vent some of his fury. This was partly due to the fact that no one he had spoken with had been very helpful, and partly because CINCCENTCOM had lectured him on things the Senator didn’t care about, such as how he couldn’t order a Special Forces rescue mission, though the president could. Upon hearing this, Senator Samuel Summer had scheduled a meeting at the President’s earliest convenience. Due the fact that the two Politicians were good friends, the President took “earliest convenience” to mean immediately, and had promptly rearranged the day’s appointments, allowing the President to meet with his friend.

After taking the deep breath, the President answered his friend’s question, “What I want to do is put the in-theatre forces on DEFCON 3 (All U.S. military theater commands were currently on DEFCON 5), order the B-2s and B-1s on hot pad alert, and move the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group and its attached Marine Expeditionary Unit from the Arabian Sea to the Red Sea. However, if I did that, the world would probably scream about ‘U.S. aggression against Muslim nations’. When I consider the political ramifications of a full-scale war in Sudan, that is unfortunately not an option.” When the President saw his friend about to erupt in a fierce tirade about how the government of Sudan had murdered more than seven hundred people, he continued. “That does not mean, however, that the United States of America will tolerate another Holocaust. Many people will see any effort to put massive ground forces in Darfur as just another Afghanistan or Iraq. I have already spoken to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and they have recommended a different approach. We use a few Global Hawk long range UAVs based out of MacDill Air Force Base to get real-time video surveillance of the Darfur Region. If they see a bunch of civilians getting slaughtered by Sudanese government troops or aircraft, and we then put that on National TV, a bunch of people will start to support stopping the genocide. As much as I hate to say it, the best thing in the long run is to just watch it happen, but record it, before we commence “surgical strikes” using Predator UAVs armed with Hellfire missiles. Even if the American people want to end the genocide, they won’t accept any U.S. casualties. That limits us to using no more than a few Special Forces teams groundside at the most.”

Senator Samuel Summer was surprised that his friend was actually worrying about politics at a time like this, so he queried the President about his motives. Expecting this, the President responded, “Look Sam, if we go in guns blazing and have a whole Marine Corps Battalion invade Sudan, it’ll just make the situation worse. The U.S. would not get any help internationally, sectarian violence would erupt, and Al-Qaeda would send a bunch of lunatics in to cause mayhem. If we don’t provide any ground targets of any significance, we won’t be seen as invading. Once the people openly support ending the genocide, we can commence 24/7 air based interdiction missions using strategic bombers based on U.S. soil, and F-22 stealth fighters based out of Saudi Arabia to intercept Sudanese bombers and helicopter gun ships. With any luck, we won’t need the Ronald Reagan or the Marines. Even so, I’m going to order the Reagan and her escorts into the Red Sea for ‘cooperative exercises’ with the Saudi military. The Marine helicopter assault carrier will rendezvous with the Abraham Lincoln, which departed Diego Garcia yesterday, and will remain in the Arabian Sea.” The now appeased Senator suggested sending a few Special Forces units to Forward Operating Bases, to which the President replied, “Way ahead of you, Sam. Four eight-man teams are currently over the Atlantic in a C-17 on a ‘supply’ mission to one of our air bases in Saudi Arabia. Once there, they will be able to work with the UAVs to provide targeting data to the shooters. The bomber pilots are currently being briefed on their Rules of Engagement and will start training sorties later today. One of our Global Hawks should be wheels up right about now at MacDill AFB. In about fourteen hours, we’ll start getting video feed. Air Mobility Command in going to send a few C-5 Galaxy transports to Saudi with six strike-configured Predator UAVs. They should be mission capable in about two days. At that time, Operation GOOD SAMARITAN will begin.”

The Senator nodded, but then asked, “What happens if in retaliation the Sudanese Air Force flattens more refugee camps or manages to splash one of our bombers? Do we just say, ‘Okay, you guys win’, or what?”

The Commander in Chief of the United States Armed Forces made a grim face and told his friend the horrific part of Operation GOOD SAMARITAN. Both men sincerely hoped it would never come to that, but accepted that it might become necessary.


MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. U.S.A. 1150, October 5th, 2009

Lieutenant Colonel John Meyers watched the Global Hawk gracefully blast off the runway and bank eastward. As it slowly gained altitude, the UAV’s onboard computer reported to the ground controllers that all systems were fully functional, and requested updates on the weather on its planned flight path. The groundside computer, which was linked to the 50th Space Wing’s Headquarters, accessed the relevant information from orbiting Air Force Radar Ocean Reconnaissance Satellites (RORSATs), and transmitted it to the Global Hawk via secure radio link. It was encoded with the latest encryption system dreamed up by the Nation Security Agency. Due to the fact that the Global Hawk had a normal cruising altitude of about 60,000 feet, it was able to fly above the weather. However, bad weather could seriously degrade its capability to take surveillance video and pictures.

Colonel Meyers wondered why it was necessary for him to be present during the mission, which had been ordered out of the blue. Any of his subordinates could fly the mission. Well, technically, they did not “fly” it, per-say, but they watched their computer screens display information such as air temperature and fuel levels. A monkey could fly the Global Hawk. In fact, you didn’t even need the monkey, but the Brass wanted “pilots” observing the mission. Which was why Colonel Meyers was not doing paperwork in his office right now. As it was, this was an improvement, because flying sorties was far more fun. Colonel Meyers was still chuckling about something a Senior NCO had said when a Corporal had burst through the doors to the Base Operations Center and said, “Sir! General Mathews on the STU for you sir!” Nearly spilling his coffee down his front, Colonel Meyers wondered why CINCCENTCOM wanted to talk to him. Surely such an important commander wouldn’t waste his time with a light Colonel? All the same lieutenant Colonel John Meyers sprinted out the door and grabbed the Secure Telephone Unit. “Sir, this is Lieutenant Colonel Meyer…”

The General quickly interrupted him, “Quiet Colonel, and listen up! I have been ordered to personally advise you to get the rest of your wing ready for immediate 24/7 sorties. You’ve heard about that crap in Darfur the other day, right? Well, POTUS wants as many intelligence assets over there as we have and then some. You are hereby ordered to get as many ’Hawks orbiting over Darfur as you can as soon as you can. Also, you are to send all information regarding air defenses, military installations, Sudanese Army and militia units, and locations of Refugee camps to the NSA and Whiteman AFB in Missouri. Any questions?”

Knowing Whiteman was the B-2 base, Colonel Meyers asked, “Uh…sir, are we sending B-2s to Darfur or something?”.

General Mathews replied, “I cannot answer that question, Lieutenant Colonel. You have your orders.” and then hung up. Holdi

ng the phone in his hand, Colonel Meyers bellowed in the general direction of the ops center, “Get Global Hawks three and five up now! Get one and four ready to shoot off in six hours! If six is still having problems, fix them, and have it ready to go in twenty-four hours. People, I think we finally get to play with the heavies!” “Heavies” were the Strategic bombers such as B-52s, B-1s, and B-2s.

Fifteen miles from the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan, Arabian Sea 2235 October 5th, 2009

Flasher three, an E-2 ‘Hawkeye’ AWACS aircraft, had just detected two bogies. They were at low altitude, maybe just one thousand feet, and moving at five-hundred and fifty knots. The RIO in the Hawkeye spoke into his microphone, “Weasel lead, we just picked up two bogies, at one, doing five-five-zero, range one-three-zero. Steer two-nine-zero. Please confirm, over.” Weasel lead was a ‘Super Hornet’ F-18E carrier based fighter piloted by Commander Wally Richardson. The pilot relayed the information to his wingman, Weasel two. Both fighters went to afterburner and activated their AMRAAM radar guided missiles. At forty miles, the two fighters lit up their radar and, upon receiving a “locked on” warble in their headsets, pushed a button that would have sent their missiles blazing away at the bogies faster than the speed of sound. It would have, that is, if they had been carrying real missiles. The “enemy” bogies were in fact Saudi Air Force F-15E strike fighters.

After the intercept, the American naval fighters turned back towards their carrier and began preparations to land. The Saudi fighters also decided to return to base, which they did, after buzzing by the Hawkeye and waggling their wings. For the Saudi pilots, it was an embarrassment, but it was not unexpected. For the Americans, it was a routine protect-your-landing-strip mission.

Commander Richardson shoved his fighter into a harsh 3 gee turn and lined it up with the stern of the Ronald Reagan. At a range of five miles, he adjusted his radio to the frequency used by the carrier. “Control, Weasel Lead with two, and we’re looking to complete tonight’s crash course in flying jets off a carrier.” Ignoring the pilot’s sarcasm, the controller replied, “Weasel Lead, reduce speed to one-five-zero, steer port one point five.” Lieutenant Michaels, the duty controller on the carrier, was not too concerned about this particular landing. The pilot in question had more than five hundred carrier landings, of which more than two hundred were at night. Once Weasel Flight was down, the carrier would move to the next shift, and another controller would take over. Whether Lieutenant Michaels would be able to sleep was another question entirely, given that fighters were going to be screaming off the ship all night. That was what he had earplugs for, though, and he intended to use them.

A split second before his fighter (in theory) caught an arresting wire, Commander Richardson shoved the throttles through to afterburner, in case his fighter did not catch one. Luckily, it did, and Richardson was shoved cruelly against his restraints until his fighter stopped halfway down the carrier. When the hook released the wire, Weasel lead taxied to the elevator, which would take his fighter down to the hanger for refueling and rearmament.

After Weasel two had successfully landed, the two pilots went to the squadron ready room for debriefing. After being stuck in their cockpits for more than three hours, the pilots were ready for a nice hot shower. Commander Richardson had a hunch that he wouldn’t get a chance for showers so often once the carrier group entered the Red Sea. Word on the street was that Reagan had been ordered there to convince the Sudanese that genocide was no longer allowed. Many of those stationed on the carrier had been wondering when the whole Darfur issue would be confronted and solved. After learning about the shoot-down of a Senator’s daughter by a Sudanese aircraft, they had wondered if that would spark the new administration into taking action. As far as they could tell, they were not steaming towards the Red Sea for ‘exercises’ at all. Either way, things would certainly get exciting once they entered the Red Sea in two days.

Darfur, Sudan 1800, October 6th, 2009

Commander Jones gazed through his binoculars at the refuge camp two miles away. As far as he could tell, there were no Sudanese military or Janjaweed units present. He took out his secure satellite radio and contacted the Valiant. “Bird Nest, this is Lone Chick. Please respond, over.”

After several agonizing seconds, the Valiant replied, “We copy, Lone Chick. Are you positioned on a sand dune about three klicks south east of Refugee camp 11?” Realizing the Valiant must have a UAV orbiting over them, Commander Jones toggled the talk switch on his satellite radio and said, “You better believe it. Can you see any credible threats near us?”

“Negative. Proceed to the Refugee camp. We’ve chartered a chopper out of Chad to extract you guys. Hopefully the Sudanese won’t put a fighter up near you this time. By the way, you may be interested that the President had ordered the Reagan Strike Group into the Red Sea for ‘Exercises’. In addition, a couple strike-configured Predator drones based out of Saudi should be mission capable by tomorrow.”

“Okay. Thanks Bird Nest. Lone Chick out.” Feeling encouraged, Commander Jones informed the small detachment of the good news and they began trekking toward Refugee camp 11.

The Peace Brigade troops were tired, but they were still alert. All they had to do now was reach the camp and hold out until the extraction helicopter arrived. Rachael Summer was angry at the atrocities committed by the Sudanese government, but knew that the same kind of thing had been happening for years. All the same, she was glad that the government of, and specifically the President of, the United States had decided to act. All it took was one truly caring individual in a position of power, and many of the world’s problems could be solved. In this case, the genocide in Darfur, Sudan would hopefully end. The senator’s daughter only hoped the Sudanese government would not oppose the inevitable order by the American government and international community to cease committing genocide. She had a hunch that if they tried to play the “sovereign nation” card, they wouldn’t just lose the hand; they would lose the whole game. If the president was sending a Carrier Strike Group to a position just off the coast of Sudan, he meant business. It was common knowledge that a single United States Navy Carrier task force had enough firepower to take on and defeat any other entire navy in the world. The whole fleet could do the same with the next seven largest navies, but Rachael doubted it would be used in the upcoming conflict.

Situation Room, White House 0900, October 7th, 2009

General Matthews stepped up to the podium and spoke, “Mr. President, members of the Cabinet. We currently have three Global Hawk UAVs on station over Sudan. They have the capability to take high detail surveillance pictures as well as video. After studying the operational tempo of their airbases, we have learned more about their aviation related abilities. As far as we can tell, they are gearing up for a major air strike, most likely against targets in the Darfur region or possibly even Chad. They could deploy as many as fifteen A-5 Fantan fighter-bombers in an air to ground configuration. This represents about half of the Sudanese Air Force’s air to ground capabilities. We are looking at this strike being implemented within three to five hours from now. The Reagan won’t be in position until early tomorrow morning, so we won’t have air cover over the Red Sea until then. I would advise against using the fighters based in Saudi Arabia for that purpose, do to increased Iranian air and naval activity in the strait of Hormuz. The Saudis want our fighters and other air assets based there right now to help them deal with that. Essentially, this means the only combat capable assets we have available to us in the area to deal with Sudan are half a dozen Predators, a few Special Forces teams, and a Virginia class nuclear powered attack submarine. Clearly, we want to stop the Sudanese from launching their strike. Our basic options are these: We put diplomatic pressure on the Sudanese government to abort their attack. That means you, Mr. President. Most likely, they would either ignore us or respond with some crap about how we have no right to tell them what they may or may not do in their own country. That puts us back to square one. Basically, if we want to stop this attack, all we can do is order the submarine to launch her cruise missiles against their air bases, and have the Predators launch a their anti-tank missiles at a few grounded fighters. Due to the nature of their dispersed air assets, we could expect a sixty percent survival rate of the aircraft we expect them to deploy. In addition, we would be labeled as the aggressors. Mr. President, I advise that we go with your original media-oriented plan.” After thanking the assembly for their time, CINCCENTCOM stepped down from the podium.

After quietly thinking for about thirty seconds, the President spoke to the White House Press Secretary, “Mike, get me a thirty minute segment on all the networks for 11:30-12:00 today. Tell ‘em it’s the juiciest story of the year, and that it’ll be live. Oh, and give the whole ‘viewer discretion is advised due to graphic content’ spiel. If they refuse, tell them I will activate the National Emergency Broadcast system for it. I mean it. Go.”

The White House Press Secretary had heard that only once before from the current President. That time, it nearly caused riots across the country.


The White House Press Room, Washington D.C., U.S.A. 1100, October 7th, 2009

The President of the United States of America was addressing the nation and the world on live Television. “My fellow Americans, and people of the world. Many of us thought something as horrible as the Holocaust could never happen again. In the nineties, we were proved wrong in Rwanda. Now, we are being proved wrong again. What you are about to see will be happening live, in the Nation of Sudan in Africa; specifically, in the Darfur region. Due to the possibly graphic content of the images, viewer discretion is strongly advised.”

Around the world, television screens changed from a view inside the White House to one from nearly sixty thousand feet above one of Sudan’s airbases. Two F-5 Fantan fighter-bombers lifted off the runway and banked west toward Darfur, gradually climbing. The video feed was voiced over by U.S. military personnel fluent in whatever language the network used. They explained that the two aircraft were Sudanese fighter-bombers on a mission to murder innocent civilians. They also explained that the President of the United States of America had personally called the Sudanese President and requested that the attack be cancelled. In response, the Sudanese President had denied any knowledge of such an attack, and declared that even if Sudan launched one, it was their right to do so. Clearly, he had been lying, they explained, as the National Security Agency had recorded the President personally ordering the strike to be launched. The view then changed to that of a different high flying UAV, which zoomed in to show a seven or eight year old girl playing soccer with seven other kids. The camera panned around the refugee camp, showing more than a hundred other people, including many more children. The camera then zoomed out, showing the two F-5s streak toward the camp and drop bombs on the helpless children. As the bombs exploded, peopled began fleeing for their lives into the desert. It seemed as though some had escaped until three more aircraft appeared, blasting away at the civilians with rockets and strafing them with cannons. A mother and her four-year-old son were vaporized in the blink of an eye. The camera then zoomed out again, showing a burning, smoking landscape were just minutes before a refugee camp with over one thousand people had lived.

The President of the United States of America then reappeared with his eyes closed. When he opened them, he spoke calmly yet strongly, “What you have just witnessed is occurring live in the Darfur region of Sudan right now as I speak. As many of you are aware, the government of Sudan has been involved in the systematic killing of thousands of innocent civilians over the past few years. It is a horrible thing that it has been permitted to go on for so long. When I first took office, I had hoped that the countries and governments of the world would put an end to this, with the United States of America firmly at their side. Due to political and economic concerns, as well as other reasons, this has not happened. However, the important thing now is ending this atrocious genocide right now using any means necessary.”

The president took a perverse pleasure in seeing the media people stand shocked at his words. They were clearly not used to politicians who did not behave like, well, politicians.

“As such, the United States of America hereby delivers the following ultimatum to the Government of Sudan: All sorties by the Sudanese Air Force like the one which took place just minutes ago will cease immediately. In addition, the Sudanese government will order the Janjaweed militia forces to cease their attacks. The United States of America will not accept any nonsense about ‘internal affairs’, ‘national sovereignty’, or ‘putting down rebel activity’. Declarations to that effect will be understood to mean that the Government of Sudan wishes to continue genocide and accepts all the consequences thereof. If that is the case, I will request a declaration of war between the United States of America and Sudan. If Sudan wishes to avoid this, all it has to do is comply with the aforesaid ultimatum. As I have already stated, the genocide in Darfur will end. If this means the dismantling of the Sudanese military through force, so be it.”

“In issues of genocide, there can be no middle road. Any entity must either support putting an end to it or continuing it. The government of Sudan has twenty-four hours to comply with these demands, or face the consequences. To the Sudanese President, I say this: When I spoke with you just under an hour ago, I asked you if you were planning on murdering hundreds of innocent civilians. You proceeded to do just this, as the world just saw. In my opinion, that makes you as bad as Hitler, Stalin, or Chairman Mao. If we have to put a smart bomb through your roof to protect the innocent people in Darfur, we will. If we have to launch an all out attack on the Sudanese military and the Janjaweed to protect the innocent people in Darfur, we will. If I have to swim across the Atlantic Ocean, cross the Sahara desert, and protect the innocent people in Darfur myself, I will. You can both surrender and make reparations to the people in Darfur, or you can accept the complete and utter annihilation of you country’s military. I hope for your sake that you make the right choice.”

The media reporters as one stated yelling questions, but the President ignored them and walked out the doorway. He turned the General Matthews and spoke just two words: “Convince them.”

 

[GovernorGeneral]

Chapter 2

Embassy of the United States of America, Khartoum, Sudan
2300, October 7th, 2009

Ambassador Hale was about to go to bed when he was alerted to the fact that he had a telephone call. What surprised him was that his caller was the President of the United States of America. After a brief exchange of formalities, the President said something that made the Ambassador wonder if he was dreaming. “Ambassador Hale, you are hereby instructed to make any and all preparations for a possible embassy siege that you see fit. This includes authorizing the Marine embassy guard detachment to use deadly force in defense. If you want more Marines, you’ve got them just as soon as we can ship them from Saudi. Any questions?”

Eventually finding his voice, the Ambassador requested permission to speak frankly. When granted, he said, “Are you stupid? They’ll probably fire an RPG at us after what you did, and now you presumably want us to start handing our rifles to everyone and organizing a militia. Mr. President, I respect you as a person, but did you ever stop and think about the consequences of pissing the crap out of the Sudanese government?”

“Ambassador Hale, yes, I did think about it. Perhaps you should too. Only an arrant idiot would even think about storming an American Embassy, especially a third world country. The Sudanese government knows full well that any attempt to take hostages from our embassy would result in Khartoum being turned into a parking lot, courtesy of the USAF. However, The safety of American citizens in Sudan has been considered, and it had been decided to withdraw our diplomatic staff via the Ronald Reagan’s helicopters. That will take place in 32 hours. Good night, Ambassador.” After taking a moment to calm himself, the senior American official in Sudan decided that having a leader willing to act and do the right thing was better than one who was not. After punching the speed dial button to the Marine command post, he asked the young Lieutenant to report to his office immediately.

Whiteman AFB, Missouri, USA 0300, October 8th, 2009

The first of the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bombers was pulled out of its hanger by a three ton tug, while the flight crew finished programming the mission parameters into the onboard computers. Once the intercontinental bomber was clear of the hanger, the twin turbofan engines were ignited and it maneuvered towards the runway. After receiving the go-ahead from the control tower, the aircraft commander pushed the throttles to full military power. The B-2 accelerated down the runway and pulled into the air. At the end of its climb, the advanced bomber leveled off at 38,000 feet on a course to Sudan. Over the span of ten minutes, twelve of the total inventory of twenty B-2s screamed into the air and began their seven thousand mile journeys.

Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, USA 0320, October 8th, 2009

The aging yet reliable B-52H bomber fleet was also being employed in Operation Good Samaritan. As such, thirty of them were being deployed in the second wave of strike aircraft. Whereas the B-2s were carrying munitions designed to flummox air defenses and jam radar screens, the B-52s were loaded with long-range air launched cruise missiles. This was because trying to hide a B-52 from radar was like trying to hide an elephant from a poacher with binoculars. The plan was for the stealth bombers to degrade the Sudanese air defenses with a combination of weapons: missiles targeted at air search radars, and air launched drones with transponders to make them look like tactical strike fighters on whatever radar instillations remained after the barrage of anti-radar missiles. In theory, the Sudanese interceptors that were scrambled would go after the phantom attackers, leaving the B-52s free to launch a volley of cruise missiles. Those who heard the roar of their engines as they flew over American cities wondered what was going on. When the fleet of intercontinental bombers began mid-air refueling from KC-135 tankers out of RAF bases in England six hundred miles away, their crews disengaged the autopilots for the first time since reaching cruise altitude. Captain John Meyers swore when he noticed a red warning light on the control panel. When he discovered what it meant, he swore even louder. The refueling equipment on his B-52 was not functioning properly. Reluctantly, he radioed this information to the mission commander in another B-52, and began turning the BUFF (Big Ugly Fat Fellow) onto a course to divert to a UK RAF base. Another ’52 had to divert after the hydraulics in its starboard wing failed. This was insignificant to the mission, however, as it could be completed with only fifteen of the thirty bomber sent. Thirty minutes ahead of the decades-old BUFFs, the B-2 stealths were continuing their journey, passing over Gibraltar nearly ten hours after take-off.

Diego Garcia Air Station, Indian Ocean Same time

Sixteen B-1B Lancer bombers roared into the night sky and clawed their way to forty-two thousand feet, and began a short journey across the Arabian Sea. While not as stealthy as the B-2s, these bombers did have the ability to sprint at supersonic speeds. This meant that they could dash in at low altitude, engage their targets, and dash out before fighters could be scrambled to intercept them.

U.S.S. Ronald Reagan, Red Sea Thirty minutes later

Commander Wally Richardson taxied his fighter up to the catapult and waited while the ground crew hooked it up. When everything was ready, he engaged the afterburners and the catapult officer fired the air superiority fighter into the night sky. ‘Mr. Bob’ was the leader of the fighter escort for the naval strike fighters that were preparing to launch after him. All together, more than forty combat aircraft would be sent in an Alpha Strike, or all-out attack, on the Sudanese costal defenses. Bob’s job was to protect them from enemy interceptors. “Okay Weasels, tighten up and start confirming that your ground crews put your missiles on the right way around. Remember, maintain radio silence once we reach checkpoint Wichita.”

Back on the carrier, Admiral Barry Russell watched the tactical displays and hoped nothing would go wrong. Although he’d coordinated with Air Force units before, this was the first time he’d done so on a mission with real live enemies who would probably shoot back.

White House Situation Room 1140, October 8th, 2009

The President of the United States of America picked up a phone and asked the operator to put him in contact with the Sudanese President. While waiting, he sipped from a can of soda, knowing the caffeine was all that kept him awake. Eventually, the operator came back on the line and reported that he had only been able to get a hold of the Sudanese President’s secretary. “Oh well… put him on anyway. I’ll handle it from here. Thanks.” Glancing at his watch, he knew he had only minutes left.

The Sudanese secretary greeted the American executive politely, “Mr. President, it is an honor to speak with you. How can I help you at this hour?”

Knowing the answer before he asked the question, The President said, “You can start by handing your President a phone.”

“My deepest regrets, but that is not possible. He gave me strict instructions not to disturb his sleep.”

“In that case, I suggest you disregard your orders and wake him up. Unless, of course, you want to be responsible for your nation being attacked by the American military in, oh, about eleven minutes.” “Mr. President, this is most irregular…”

“PUT HIM ON THE PHONE NOW OR FIND A BOMB SHELTER!!!” The president bellowed.

Sensing an issue out of his pay grade, the Sudanese bureaucrat agreed to the President’s ‘request’. After three minutes of infuriating waiting, the President heard his counterpart’s voice in his ear. “Mr. President, I must protest your rudeness to my secretary and your insistence that he wake me. What is the reason for your call?” Feeling his adrenaline rising, the President spoke carefully, “I regret that it must come to this. There has been no declaration by your government agreeing to end the genocide and make reparations. Do you wish to rethink that?”

“I am afraid that there has been some kind of misunderstanding. I do not know what you are talking about.”

“Perhaps this will refresh your memory.” The President signaled an aid, who played back a digital sound recording over the phone line. It was of the Sudanese President verbally giving orders over a ‘secure’ phone to launch air strikes against refugee camps.

Once it had ended, the Sudanese leader responded, “What is this hoax? You must be mistaken?”

The president’s grip tightened on the soda can. “Pay attention. In about five minutes nearly one hundred United States combat aircraft will enter Sudanese airspace and begin the systematic elimination of your air defenses and air bases. You have thirty seconds to rethink your decision to ignore my ultimatum to end genocide. If at that time you have not changed your mind, I will order our strike aircraft to commence their attacks. By the way, if your defenses manage to shoot down any of them, I will strongly consider waging total war on Sudan. You have eleven seconds left.”

“Mr. President… this is… highly irregular, and I must protest. I am considering a formal protest through the United Nations.”

The President’s hand crushed the soda can, spilling the liquid inside over his clothes. “Mr. President, you may consider our nations to be at war as of now. If I were you, I wouldn’t complain to the UN about your military taking a beating over the next half hour. If you hurry, you could order your air defense personnel to evacuate all airbases and air defense sites. Good night.” After smashing the phone down on the desk in front of him, the President turned to General Matthews and said, “Order Bravo Strike to take place and get me some napkins.”

Over Egypt Two minutes later

The B-2A Spirit Stealth Bombers were cruising at thirty-six thousand feet, virtually invisible on radar. The onboard computers were counting down the time until the state of the art strike craft would arrive at their launch points. Due to recent upgrades to the B-2 computer systems, the weapons could theoretically launch themselves, but having a human in the loop was still a good idea. Colonel Jason Columbus was idly wondering how the U.S. Air Force had gotten permission to over fly Egypt. He considered the possibility that it did not, but discarded it. The government of Egypt probably figured that cooperation was in its best interests. Either way, his bomber was nigh undetectable by any ground radar instillations the Egyptians had. Even if that was not the case, Colonel Columbus thought, I could neutralize any SAM or Radar sites that saw me. The general conducting his mission briefing had been very clear on that. If the strike aircraft detected so much as a squeak from any of the numerous radar instillations, they were authorized to eliminate them. Apparently, the countries that U.S. military aircraft would be over flying were not entirely trusted.

At any rate, there was nothing on his threat board whatsoever. That was probably about to change as soon as he entered Sudanese air space. His copilot began final checks on all of the weapons and avionics systems. When everything checked out perfectly, as everyone knew it would, but still worried about anyway, Colonel Columbus armed the weapons carried in their bomb bays. Eight of the twelve B-2As were tasked with engaging the border radar instillations. The remaining four would penetrate deeper into the country to smash most of the radars protecting airbases and other juicy targets. As the overall strike commander for the B-2s, Colonel Columbus had the responsibility for giving the final order. This he did with complete and utter calm. He toggled his radio switch and said, “Zulu, Zulu, Zulu.”

This caused eight of the B-2s to launch their anti-radar missiles at pre-planned targets. As the first few missiles began to obliterate search and targeting radars, just about every air-defense system in Sudan activated. Effectively, this was like lighting a flare at night in the hopes of being able to see something that was shooting at you. In essence, it just gave the American pilots perfect knowledge of what to shoot at themselves. As Columbus’s bomber approached a major air base, its bomb bay doors opened, four weapons dropped free, and the doors closed again. The missiles activated their engines and began searching for targets. These they found quickly, and were reduced to scrap rapidly. His mission to leave a Sudanese air base open to further attack complete, Colonel Columbus turned his all but invisible bomber around and began the long journey home.

Over the Red Sea
The same time

Commander Richardson was beginning to wonder if his squadron would have anything to do on this mission when he received a radio transmission from Flasher one. “Weasel lead, we just picked up eight bandits at six thousand feet, and moving fast at eight hundred and fifty knots. Steer two-seven-zero. Intercept estimated in five minutes.” Richardson engaged afterburner and lit up his acquisition radar. Almost instantly, it began tracking and targeting two bandits. Once that happened, the Sudanese Air Force pilots lit up their own radars. The Chinese manufactured equipment could not yet lock on, which gave the U.S. naval aviators an advantage. Specifically, they could fire their missiles before their SAF counterparts. The squadron of twelve Super Hornets volleyed off twenty-four missiles, much to the terror of their opponents, who had two choices. They could turn and flee, releasing countermeasures, possibly surviving. Or, they could charge at the Americans, hoping to get a radar lock and fire their missiles before getting turned into confetti. Knowing they’d be executed if they ran, five of the eight Sudanese pilots chose a compromise. They claimed to have radar locks over the radio, fired all their missiles, not expecting to hit anything, and then “accidentally” ejected. The other three pilots bored in, and one announced a true missile lock. Two seconds later, the American missiles hit, ending the engagement.

Then one of the escorting frigates from the American battle group dispatched its helicopter to pick up the SAF pilots who ejected. Even before it reached them, the second interceptor squadron was entering Sudanese airspace to escort the strike aircraft from the Reagan. The F/A-18 Hornets were loaded with smart bombs and fuel tanks, and split up to engage the airbases left naked by the earlier B-2s. Upon reaching their targets, the F/A-18s released their weapons. The first few were designed to smash through several feet of concrete before exploding, which made runways and taxiways resemble Swiss cheese. The remaining bombs each held dozens of grenade sized sub munitions, which turned fuel trucks and parked aircraft into raging infernos. In a matter of minutes, the Sudanese Air Force had lost over half of its aircraft.

Khartoum, Sudan 0328 October 9th, 2009

Unfortunately for the Sudanese military, the mayhem was only just beginning. The sixteen B-1B Lancer quasi-stealth bombers were hurtling barely one hundred feet over the Red Sea. As they hit “feet-dry” on the eastern shores of Sudan, they angled on a course to Khartoum, the capital city. The B-1Bs had originally been designed to penetrate Soviet radars and launch nuclear tipped cruise missiles at strategic targets. They would not be doing that on this mission, but would instead do the next most terrifying thing. Their bomb bays were not loaded with nuclear weapons. They were not loaded with conventional weapons. Oddly enough, they carried several tons of fireworks and flares each. Minutes before reaching the city, the Lancers moved into a grid formation, each separated by several miles from the nearest other bomber. At precisely 03:38 local time, The bomb bays opened, releasing an awesome glare into the night sky the. Fireworks whizzed toward the ground, exploding a few hundred feet above the ground with deafening roars that drowned out the engines of the low flying bombers. The Sudanese President was astonished to see what he thought was a repeat of the Shock and Awe tactics used in Baghdad in the spring of 2003. His sense of awe was not diminished by the fact that no one was harmed. He barely registered the ringing of his phone until an assistant alerted him to the fact. With a sense of dread, he picked it up, put it to his ear, and then winced at the sound of one of his top general yelling at the top of his lungs.

He did not really hear the meaning of the words, until he heard this: “Our Air Force is gone! I fear they will use tactical nuclear weapons on our Army bases next. It fits with the American’s desire to smash every military asset we have from the air. They cannot destroy nearly one thousand main-battle tanks in any other way. Just minutes ago, one of our radar instillations detected a large number of B-52 bombers, and then went off the air. Most likely, the Americans knocked them out with their damned invisible planes. If they are carrying nuclear weapons, then we are finished. If not, then we must prepare to launch a full-scale retaliatory strike in anyway we can, to show them our resolve. I suggest that we order our mechanized forces to deploy west, and move into the Darfur region. That way, we have bargaining chips, seeing as the Americans seem to care so much about the rebel savages anyway. In addition, I suggest that you invoke our secret treaty with the Iranians.” After taking a deep breath, the President responded, “Very well. Do what you can about the remaining American bombers. Mobilize our Category A Mechanized forces, and prepare to roll them west in 48 hours from now. Go with our contingency plan that we discussed yesterday. We may not have an Air Force anymore, but that didn’t stop the Afghans from draining the lifeblood out of the Soviets 30 years ago. I will stall for time through the media.”

The Darfur Region, Sudan Ten minutes later

The cloud of cruise missiles blazed through the desert, seemingly in the direction of the refugee camps. One plowed into a sand dune on accident, but the others continued. About a minute from reaching the GPS coordinates in their “brains”, the missiles began climbing on a ballistic flight path. They tipped over, and began hurtling toward the ground, their engines having cut out. At an altitude of one thousand feet, a circuit tripped when the nose radar gauged the altitude to be equal to the figure in the mission programming. The warheads then detonated, filling the sky with enormous fireballs. Had it been daytime, and had anyone nearby survived, they would have seen mushroom clouds. However, the cruise missiles were not targeted at refugee camps, did not carry nuclear warheads, and no civilians were killed because of them. Every major Janjaweed camp in or near the Darfur region had been hit with a single fuel-air explosive bomb. Thousands of the militia men were incinerated, others were left with severe burns, of whom some lived and some did not. It was the single most devastating U.S. Air Force sortie since the Fat Man was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki on August 9th, 1945. The main difference was that no civilians were killed. Those affected by the missiles in Darfur were all combatants who knowingly and intentionally posed a direct threat to the well being of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, including children.

 

[GovernorGeneral]

Chapter 3

The White House, Washington D.C., U.S.A.
Seconds later

“Mother of God! We could have used nuclear weapons in Sudan, and the effects would hardly have been worse.” Watching the real-time video feed from over flying UAVs, the President began to wonder if he had over reacted. That moment of self-doubt faded as he remembered the horrifying images of children being slaughtered.

The national security advisor, Admiral Scott Mulligan, had his say, “Yep, we sure gave a pretty darn good impression of God from the Old Testament all right. Damn murderers better stop now before we start using nukes.”

General Matthews, commander in chief of Central Command, cleared his throat. “Mr. President, as happy as I am that our apocalypse impression went off without a hitch, there are other issues we need to be concerned about. By which I mean the safety of Senator Summer’s daughter, not to mention our embassy staff. As far as the former goes, a chartered chopper out of Chad picked up her party. Due to the fact that we scared the crap out of that general area of the world, the Peace Brigade is having problems getting anyone to fly them to Europe. Any extraction attempt by the Reagan group would detract from their combat capabilities. In addition, the logistics of such a rescue aren’t looking good. Our naval helicopters barely have the range to go that far, and even if they did, we just don’t know how many surface to air missiles the Sudanese have. We smashed everything they have that can engage highflying bombers or supersonic fighter-bombers. However, anyone can shoot down a chopper with a stinger missile or any similar man portable system. That is why I am still reluctant to start putting Marines on the ground that way. Para dropping Special Forces in is all well and good, but we don’t want them to have to walk a thousand miles across the desert.”

The President replied calmly, “I have already thought about that. Couldn’t we use a combination of naval fighter-bombers and air force A-10 Warthogs from Saudi Arabia to clear a safe fly zone for them? At the same time, we could raise hell in Khartoum again to distract ‘em.”

“Mr. President, if I may speak frankly, that would probably get a lot of American pilots killed, and result in the death of the Senator’s daughter. Especially after the events of the last half-hour, degrading their central control capabilities won’t do much. Their air defenses, or what are left of them, probably consist of man portable SAMs that don’t need half a dozen search radars to work properly. In other words, everything that we can hit with strategic platforms has already been hit. That basically means that our heavy bombers have little left to do, leaving tactical air strikes to the Reagan’s air wing and whatever we can scrounge up from Saudi Arabia. The embassy’s security is even more daunting. For the same reasons, helicopters will be a bad idea. Basically, all we can do is threaten to nuke the crap out their sand box of a country if so much as a single AK-47 round is fired in the general direction of the embassy, and then hope they don’t call our bluff. At any rate, we have neutralized the immediate military threat to the Darfuri refugees. Without an air force or the Janjaweed militias, the Sudanese government can’t do anything to threaten them. However, there is still the issue of humanitarian aid, not to mention the political ramifications that we’ll know more about over the next few days. I suggest we sit tight and wait to see how events turn out. Oh, I almost forgot. Air Mobility Command, as well as our B-52 units, is gearing up to start dropping everything from canned pears to blankets to information leaflets on the Refugee camps and villages. That will take place within 24 hours from now.”

Once the meeting had adjourned, the President called the White House Military Office, or WHAMO, as it was sometimes called, and requested that Marine One be sent to convey him to Camp David. He felt like he needed a break, and that a change of scenery would help him think anyways. After hesitating briefly, the President dialed the same number and requested that Senator Samuel Summer also be transported to the Presidential retreat by military aircraft. He smiled slightly at the shock his friend would receive from armed marines barging into his office, scaring away annoying lobbyists and their lawyers. He grabbed a heavy overcoat, took a deep breath, and began the walk to the lawn outside. He noticed the extra secret service agents tailing him, armed with assault weapons. Apparently, commencing with Operation Good Samaritan counted as “armed conflict between the U.S. and a foreign power”. As the President buckled in, and was inspected by a Marine Sergeant, the helicopter took off, escorted by two Maryland Air National Guard F-16 Falcons. What is the world coming to? What in God’s name have I done?

Khartoum, Sudan 1200 local time, October 9th, 2009

Azzam Kazim, a twenty-nine year old resident of Khartoum, cursed as the traffic light turned red. He would be late for the rendezvous! No, he must trust himself to succeed. As the light turned green again, Azzam floored the accelerator, and the nineteen-year-old car lurched forward. He turned onto Sharia Ali Abdel Latif, and saw the Embassy of the United States.

Azzam was no fool, nor was he a suicidal maniac. However, he did not take kindly to infidels interfering in his nation and city. Those damned fireworks nearly killed me! One had exploded near his home, and smoldering pieces of paper had landed on his house. What if I had not been home? My brother could have been killed! That his brother openly supported and funded the janjaweed was irrelavent. To the twenty-nine year old Arab, family was family.

He drove slowly past the embassy, and pulled his car to a halt at a corner. As is on cue, his partner in crime, Abdul, sauntered down the street, and walked up to his window. He was dressed like a beggar, be Kazim knew better. From inside his canvas bag, the “beggar” produced a single hand grenade. After locking eyes with Kazim, Abdul began sprinting toward the embassy, and pulled the grenade’s pin in preparation. The plan went wrong almost instantly. An American Marine began yelling. Azzam knew his friend was in danger. He started the car, put it into reverse, and screeched after the grenade-holder. This was a bad idea. Originally, the Marine had been yelling in response to a query concerning his desire to partake in lunch. Now, however the young private began screaming for an entirely different reason. Rushing toward the embassy was a car, as well as another Arab, who- he’s holding a grenade! The private remembered his orders, and acted. He flipped the safety off of his rifle, and put the stock against his shoulder.

Azzam was for once grateful for the heat of the city. His windows were already down, and he screamed for Abdul to throw the grenade. Now, damn you! Throw it and get in the car! Just ten yards from the embassy gate, Azzam slammed on the brakes, threw the door open, and shifted into first gear.

The Marine private had to make a split second decision. The grenade or the car bomb? He had no way of knowing that the only threat was the grenade, but assumed a car bomb would be more destructive. He leveled his M4 at the driver in the car, and put his finger on the trigger. Azzam saw the Marine targeting him, and panicked. He lifted his foot off the clutch, and the car lurched forward, and then stalled. The bullets plowed into the car behind the driver. The Marine was panicking also, and just held down the trigger, cutting down the Arab holding the grenade. He also hit the car’s fuel tank. The street lit in a giant inferno of gasoline, sending glass shards everywhere. Unfortunately, it wasn’t over yet. Abdul’s last act had been to hurl the grenade sky high. As it began falling again, the explosive detonated. Already burned and cut from the car explosion and ensuing glass shrapnel, the Marine felt like it couldn’t get any worse. His searing pain ended, however, as the grenade made his injuries instantly fatal. Only those involved in the confrontation were killed, although several civilians were lightly peppered with glass shards.

The event would later be remembered as the spark that ignited a humanitarian operation into a full-scale war.

Aboard the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan 1225, October 9th, 2009

Admiral Barry Russell picked up the ringing phone and put it to his ear. The message was not a surprise, as he had been expecting it ever since he heard about the embassy attack. After acknowledging the order, he put the phone down again. He then picked up another phone and said, as calmly as he could, “Launch David Force, repeat, launch David Force” After putting that phone down, he picked up yet another one and said something else. “All ships, sound general quarters. This is not a drill.”

Up on the flight deck crewmen scurried around, fueling and arming fighters. Two F/A-18E Super Hornets were on the forward catapults, with two more behind them. Six F/A-18C Hornet fighter-bombers loaded with air to ground munitions were in turn behind them. As the monster of a ship tuned into the wind and accelerated to flank speed, the pilots climbed into their aircraft and began receiving last minute briefings from ground controllers. The interceptors would establish air superiority over Khartoum, while the fighter-bombers would engage targets that threatened the American Embassy. A larger force would arrive thirty minutes later to reinforce the first ten aircraft.

Once all ten fighters were airborne, they linked up in formation and blasted toward Khartoum. They were all at full throttle, not cruising speed. This was because the mission parameters were to get to the American Embassy ASAP. David Force did not need the fuel to remain there for long, but they did have to get there fast. Captain Steven Anderson, USMC was furious. As far as he was concerned, until now, the whole operation was just part of his service and career, with a humanitarian aid sticker on top. However, the fact that a fellow Marine had been attacked and killed made it personal. A Marine was a Marine, and Captain Anderson felt obliged to seek vengeance. He made a slight course adjustment to his F/A-18C Hornet, and disengaged autopilot. I don’t need some computer do this for me!

The four fighter escorts rocketed up to 30,000 feet and switched on their air search radars. No enemy fighter opposition was expected, but the strike fighters had to be protected. They were carrying a variety of weapons, ranging from five hundred pound high explosive gravity bombs to anti-tank missiles to grenade sized sub munitions. Any ground target that presented itself could and would be neutralized. As the six strike aircraft entered the city of Khartoum, they began searching for targets. Captain Anderson’s job was to ensure that only legitimate military targets were hit. Even though he was angry about the embassy attack, he knew he would not disobey orders and target civilians. That did not mean, however, that no civilians would become casualties.

Because the United States of America had come under direct attack by a foreign power, the rules of engagement changed. The embassy attack necessitated a change of operational doctrine. Engaging targets that threatened the evacuation of the embassy was paramount. Avoiding civilian casualties would be considered a secondary concern. That would not have been the case had the embassy not been attacked.

“Batman flight, break off into pairs and patrol your assigned sectors.” The Marine Captain’s sector was the area within 100 yards of the embassy. He and his wingman would provide the last line of defense, with the other four fighter-bombers patrolling the area half a mile further out. In an effort to limit civilian casualties, only targets within those one and a half to two square miles would be engaged. If that is, any presented themselves. Come on you murdering cowards! Where are you? As if in response to his thoughts, a stream of tracer rounds lanced up from the ground and hit one of the outer fighter-bombers. Anderson watched in horror as first smoke appeared, and then fire. “Eject! Eject!” he screamed. But it was not to be. The US navy aircraft blew up in midair, with its pilot inside. This was too much for the Marine Captain. First a fellow Marine, and then a fellow pilot who may not have been a Marine, but was a good friend nonetheless. His warrior blood boiled, and something snapped. Damn the “civilians”! They’re probably cheering! “Batman flight! Engage targets regardless of positive identification! We can’t take risks anymore.”

He reefed his fighter into a hard turn, and flipped the switch that armed one of his 500-pound bombs. There it was! A pickup truck with an anti-aircraft gun bolted on the back. The gunner saw him barreling down the street at 500 knots, and tried to get his gun pointed in the right direction. Anderson released his bomb, and pulled back on the control stick. The bomb sailed through the air and landed on the truck. It disappeared in a bright flash, smoke drifting into the sky. His wingman saw a crowd of “civilians” brandishing Kalashnikov Soviet era assault rifles, firing madly into the air. The Navy pilot released two sub munitions canisters, which deployed a total of thirty hand grenade sized bomb-lets. They landed in the crowd, and then ripped them to shreds. The area around the American Embassy became a war zone, as the US naval aviators engaged low-tech air defenses. Once they had expended all of their weapons, they began dropping their fuel tanks and strafing with cannons. Several buildings were burning, and there was so much smoke billowing into the air that neither side could see what to shoot at. The five remaining Fighter-bombers flew over the embassy, waggled their wings, and flew back to the carrier. The four fighter escorts continued their patrol, too high up to be attacked by the Sudanese defenses. They fired no air-to-air missiles, as no enemy fighters showed up. Eventually, eighteen fighter-bombers arrived over the city, escorted by eight interceptors. The new arrivals were shocked to see the area around the embassy transformed into piles of rubble and towers of smoke, but no other Sudanese air defenses engaged them. Reports varied, but it is estimated that between two hundred and three hundred casualties resulted from the air strikes of Batman Flight. At least half of them were true civilians caught in the crossfire. In order to psychologically survive that information, the US aviators told themselves that the people of Khartoum could have somehow prevented the genocide earlier, or prevented the attack on the American Embassy. They knew that some of the media’s reporters would present the US as the “real” murderers. That premonition made them all the angrier at what had happened. It was not Batman Flight’s fault. America did not start the war. The genocidal murderers did. All the same, they knew that the civilians should not have become casualties. Thy also knew that would not have happened if the Sudanese government had complied with the U.S. government’s request.

Once all the aviators had returned to the Reagan, one of the Navy chaplains held a memorial service for Lieutenant Junior Grade Tony Hansen. The chaplain urged the American aviators not to seek revenge, and told them that further sorties would be defensive measures only. Some of them understood and agreed with this. Others, particularly Captain Steven Anderson, did not.

Sudanese Army Base west of Khartoum 1800 October 9th, 2009

General Ra'id Yusuf was nearly as furious as Captain Anderson, but for a different reason. He was not so much furious at the Americans as displeased with the ease with which they attacked his country. He promised that he would remedy that situation by carrying out his orders. He was furious because the politicians in Khartoum were putting his command in danger. They wanted him to send his air defense units into Khartoum. Idiots! Do they expect me to fight the American planes with sand? He controlled three mechanized divisions, patterned on the old Soviet model. What gave him hope, however, were the six divisions’ worth of air defense equipment he had. Over the years, he had quietly requisitioned this “surplus” from various sources, including his country’s now nonexistent air bases. He would need every 40mm anti-aircraft shell and SAM battery he had if he wanted his command to survive the American warplanes.

A few hours previously, he had gone over his various assets with his intelligence officers. Under his command, he had 604 main battle tanks, of which 193 were 1980s T-80 Soviet tanks. The remainder was a mixture of T-55, T-62, and T-72 models. His infantry support consisted of more than two thousand vehicles, of which roughly half were armored. He had plenty of artillery assets, what with 500 odd guns. Having studied various military doctrines, he had decided against keeping all his T-80s in one tight group. Although it would give him a stronng fist upon which he could depend, it would leave the rest of his tanks to find for themselves. His T-80s were not just his best tanks. They also had his best tank crews.

He looked at the paper concerning the “relocation of equipment” order that would strip him of his air defenses with disgust. His took out his cigarette lighter and burned the idiotic order. He would drive forward with everything he had, before the Americans bombed his bases out of existence. “Colonel Husam, send an encrypted message to our other army bases ordering them to commence plan seven-two-bravo. This plan must be executed within six hours from now before the Americans’ invisible planes hit us.”

General Ra'id Yusuf felt that his plan had an excellent chance of succeeding. The pathetic “peacekeeping” force in place on the border with Chad could not stop him. Only a modern, well-equipped enemy force could. And unless the Americans have mastered the art of teleportation, they cannot send their legendary Armored Cavalry Regiments to stand against me. He knew what they were capable of, having studied their campaigns in both the First and Second Gulf Wars. In both cases, they had needed months of buildup and preparation time before they were able to sweep the opposing Iraqi forces aside.

 

[GovernorGeneral]

Chapter 4

United Nations Building, New York
1500, October 10th, 2009

The Sudanese Ambassador to the United Nations stood up and began his speech. “People of the World. We are all friends. We should have no grudges. I cannot understand why the United States of America has launched an unprovoked attack upon my people and my country. The United States of America is responsible for the deaths of thousands of my countrymen. The American President spouts nonsense about my government murdering innocent civilians. I ask you, people of representatives of the world’s countries, is preserving law and order a crime? If it is, then the efforts of the American government during its civil war were a crime also. Is fighting terrorist rebels a crime? Is defending oneself a crime? If this body of nations will not act in the defense of Sudan and its people, then Sudan has no interest in being a part of it anymore.”

It was expected that the American Ambassador to the UN would respond. It came as a great shock, then, when the Italian Ambassador spoke up first. “I wish first of all to express my opinion that it is not a crime to act in the defense of oneself or of others. I also wish to say that it is a crime to deliberately target civilians or innocent people in any conflict. Italy may not have the military might of America, but we do have some. If America requests assistance in the protection of the innocent people of Darfur, then the people of Italy and the Italian government will provide. The American President spoke well when he said that we must stand against genocide. I too, would myself defend the people of Darfur were it necessary. Italy applauds the efforts of the American government and people in the matter.”

Everyone present was shocked. The sense of awe only increased when the German Ambassador rose. “Germany too will stand with those who stand against genocide. Our nation was responsible for horrible deeds in the past. We cannot ever atone for them. We can, however, prevent others from making our mistake. Germany urges the nations of the world not to place sanctions, not to deliberate with bureaucracy, but to act now, before it is too late. Our intelligence sources indicate that the Sudanese Army is deploying three mechanized divisions to Darfur. The German government wishes to make clear its position on this matter. If the Sudanese government does not rescind this order within one hour from now, then a formal declaration of war between Germany and Sudan will be made.”

There was uproar, and many delegates began talking and yelling at once. Once this died down, the American ambassador rose. In his southern Mississippi drawl, he began talking. “I think its just great that Italy and Germany want to help us in Darfur. On behalf of the United States of America, I would like to propose an alliance of nations that wish to join together in this war against evil and genocide. Our respective governments can work out the details later. Thank you.”

With a look of rage upon his face, the Sudanese ambassador rocketed to his feet, and nearly shouted, “The people of Sudan reject your demands! The government of Sudan wishes to announce a formal declaration of war against the nations of the United States of America, Italy, and Germany. You have all made a very grave mistake. I believe the Iranian Ambassador would like to speak now.”

“Thank you, and may Allah be with you. Iran also wishes to make a declaration of war against the United States of America, Italy, and Germany. All of these nations may surrender at any time. In addition, Saudi Arabia must expel all American military personnel from within its borders, or face a similar declaration of war.” As the shocked delegates filed out, the American Ambassador didn’t know if the status quo had changed for better or for worse.

Camp David 1530, October 10th, 2009

“Hot damn! Looks like we’re going to get some help finally. Seems like a good omen to me.” Said Admiral Scott Mulligan, National Security Advisor. “Even more interestingly, now the whole world knows about the Sudanese Army deployment. Well, we’ve got about two days to smash them before they begin rolling over refugee camps. What really ticks me is that we might have to abort the supply drops that are starting to take place. We don’t want our transports to get shot down by Army SAMs. We can’t even send the Warthogs in either, since they have to start fighting off the goddamn Iranians. Worse still, oil prices are going to go through the roof. No tankers are going to want to go through the straight of Hormuz now.”

The President of the United States of America was furious and visibly shaken. “General Matthews, do we have the military capability to both stop the Sudanese Army in its tracks and keep the Iranians at bay at the same flipping time!” “Well sir, to be brutally honest, yes, we do. Unfortunately, however, we can’t do that conventionally. Our carrier aircraft on the Reagan don’t have specialized antitank weapons, nor do they have the training in using them that Air Force pilots do. Even if they did, they would have to get down low over the ground to use them. That would make them sitting ducks for all the anti-aircraft assets the Sudanese mechanized force has. They could probably take out half the AA weapons, but we’d lose a heck of a lot of planes, not to mention good pilots. Unfortunately, the bigger threat to United States national interest is Iran. We need to move the Reagan group out of the Red Sea now, so it can link up with the Abraham Lincoln group in the Arabian Sea. Together, they can then stream right into the Gulf and smash the crap out the Iranians, who have declared war on the United States!”

The president closed his eyes. Why me? Why do I have to make these difficult decisions? We have the capability, so “We have the responsibility…” he muttered. “General Matthews, please puts us on Blue Falcon Alert. I am hereby ordering you to place low-yield nuclear warheads onto B-2 stealth deployable bunker-buster weapon systems. We know the Iranians have medium-range nuclear tipped ballistic missiles. They can hit our allies with them, so we are going to take them out. They could in theory hit Rome, and I will not allow that to happen. Load JSOW ‘smart pigs’ onto the B-1s on Diego Garcia. We can’t completely knock out the Sudanese Army’s mechanized force, but we can at least hurt them. Load our B-52s with as many anti-tank mines as they can carry, and drop them between the Darfur camps and the Sudanese mechanized force. The Reagan stays in the Red Sea. The Lincoln goes into the Persian Gulf. That Marine Expeditionary Unit? I’m sending it to support the Reagan. Send the Reagan’s choppers to our embassy to evacuate our staff. Turn half of Khartoum into rubble if it’ll protect the evacuation. That’s an order. The Sudanese people had their chance. The Sudanese government had its chance. So did the President. In fact, find out when he’ll be home. I want to end this. We ordered the genocide to stop, and it didn’t. That makes those responsible for it responsible for what happens next. Get on the horn with the Italians and Germans, and see if we can put a joint task force together. We have a carrier in the Atlantic, right? It goes east into the Mediterranean. Flank speed. It will support whatever the Italians deploy. Any questions?”

“Sir! Are you insane! You want to initiate a nuclear first strike against Iran, kidnap or assassinate the Sudanese President, and then sow Darfur with land mines! I want to help the Darfur refugees as much as you do sir, but not at this country’s expense.”

“General, a great man once said, ‘Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.’ Kennedy said that. We did not want the genocide in Darfur to happen. We did not declare war on Iran. We are not the ones committing atrocities for the sheer hell of it. We do have the capability to take action on behalf of the victims of genocide and those threatened by Iran’s nuclear weapons. That makes us responsible to take that action, regardless of how we do so, or of the burden or hardship we face because of it. If you don’t like that, and you won’t obey those orders, you can leave, and I won’t judge you for it. But I want you to know that I am only doing what I know to be the right thing. America used to be know as the World’s Policeman. We aren’t police. We are a law-abiding nation that is going to do its duty to our fellow nations and the people of the world. Yes, people will die because of my orders. People also died because the Allies fought the Axis. We don’t have to chose to fight evil, but we wouldn’t have to make that choice if there was no evil to fight.”

General Matthews looked disturbed when he said, “Sir, forgive me insubordination. You are right. Kennedy was right. We can act, and so we will. We are not accountable for what happens as a result of this. The people who support the genocide are. Lets do this.” Admiral Scott Mulligan, who had been silent all this time, spoke up. “Mr. President, it’s an honor to serve under someone who both has the guts to act, and the brain and heart to act for the right cause.”

Outside the UN building, New York
1555, October 10th, 2009

The Sudanese Ambassador saw the car sent for him, and began walking toward it. He was shocked at the mass of people around him waving sings and posters, all of which were highly anti-Sudanese government and called for the genocide to stop. The Ambassador was grateful for the presence of numerous New York City police officers that were barely keeping the crowds of protestors at bay. He entered the car, shut the door, and rested his head on his headrest. As the car merged into the busy traffic, he began wondering if his government had gone too far. Yes, the Americans should not have attacked his country, but any sane person would surrender after the awesome display of military force, wouldn’t they? Either way, he supported his government’s policy of eradicating the savage rebels in Darfur. Besides, his hefty paycheck assuaged any doubts he may have had.

After the long day, the Sudanese Ambassador to the UN just wanted to get to his hotel and take a nap. After a few minutes, he fell asleep in the car. As the car pulled up to the hotel, the ambassador looked out the windshield and saw a large delivery truck barreling toward him. It slammed into the engine compartment, which very quickly resembled a crumpled ball of tin foil. To make matters worse for the Sudanese Ambassador, shotgun blasts began exploding into the bulletproof windows, which quickly developed cracks. A lone figure dressed in black smashed the window with the butt of his weapon, showering the ambassador with glass, and opened the door. The figure then roughly pulled the terrified diplomat from the car. The figure pointed a pistol at his head, and said coldly, “Maybe I misheard you. Did you or did you not say that your government, which you represent, refuses to stop raping and murdering innocent civilians? Why was the American Embassy attacked?” The Sudanese diplomat had never been in such a situation in his life, and began shacking with fear. At the lack of a response, the figure brought his gun crashing down on the ambassador’s skull, rendering him unconscious.

Hearing sirens approaching, the figure signaled the others around him, and they loaded the unconscious ambassador into a car. The car was one of eight identical vehicles of a common type in the Big Apple. The cars screamed into motion, quickly turning away from each other onto different streets. When authorities arrived on the scene, they discovered spent shotgun shells aplenty, as well as the Ambassador’s driver, who had a blinding headache from being bashed on the head. The driver was taken to a nearby hospital, guarded by a heavy police escort. Three of the getaway cars were stopped within ten minutes, but none of them were carrying the Sudanese diplomat. Each of the drivers of these cars said nothing other than declaring their actions to be necessary to end genocide.

Outside the Sudanese Embassy, Washington D.C.
Ten minutes later

Within minutes of learning of the abduction of the Sudanese Ambassador to the UN, the American President ordered the Marine Barracks to deploy a rifleman platoon to ensure the embassy’s security. Armored Humvees were positioned in street corners within one block of the embassy. Snipers were posted on rooftops, and riflemen patrolled the streets. The Marines used megaphones and lighted traffic signs to inform whoever might be interested that their orders were to open fire on any vehicle that did not stop to be inspected. One annoyed driver asked what the big deal was. The Marine Sergeant replied, “Sir, the United States of America is in a declared war with foreign powers. That means their embassies will be protected to ensure that diplomatic relations may continue. If you continue to resist, you will be detained for questioning, on suspicion of intent to threaten these relations. Please step out of your vehicle or turn around.” Feeling alarmed, the driver stated his intent to cooperate, and promptly turned his vehicle around and went the way he had come from.

Two minutes later, a lawyer who was late for an appointment with a client sped past the military vehicle. Immediately the radio nets went mad with hurried orders, and the Lieutenant in overall command made his decision. “Open fire!” Two riflemen leveled their weapons at the vehicle racing away from them and obeyed the order. The 5.56mm rounds tore into the car’s tires and shattered the back window. Fifty yards from the embassy, the car crashed into a lamppost. When the frantic lawyer looked up, he saw another marine pointing a Javelin anti-tank missile at him. Slowly, he raised his hands, both surprised and thankful that he was still alive. So much was his shock that upon exiting the car and being handcuffed, he did not make any idiotic remarks about lawsuits. Even if it had occurred to him, he probably would not have done so in light of the serious looking Marines hefting assault weapons.

After he was released, he asked if he should call AAA about his car. “That won’t be necessary, sir. We are in a declared war. This is now a military situation.” Too shocked to protest, the D.C. lawyer called a cab instead, which took him to his apartment.

At the Iranian embassy, another Marine platoon was taking up defensive positions. Apparently, no expense would be spared in regard to preventing a repeat of the ambassador’s abduction.

Eastern Chad, Africa
0730, October 11th, 2009

If Commander Jones was cheesed off before, he had now finished the cheese and moved onto the liqueurs. At any rate, the Peace Brigade commander was not in the mood for babysitting. As such, it was probably a good idea that the senator’s daughter was not in need of any special attention. Thank God she’s not a “turn the other cheek” nut. At least she’ll fight too, if it comes to that. Although dubious of it at first, Jones had permitted her to arm herself with his pistol.

The object of his current fury, however, was, oddly enough, the American President. He was not upset at the American leader’s choice to use lethal force. He was furious that the American leader had used such a, relatively speaking, mild strategy. The Peace Brigade Commander felt that the Sudanese Army bases should also have been hit, and hit hard. Now I get to deal with tens of thousands of heavily armed infantrymen.

The previous day, he had attempted to bargain with a helicopter pilot for a one-way ticket to an Egyptian air base. The encounter had been a bad experience for the pilot. Upon refusing, the unfortunate pilot had been bodily hurled into a wall. The terrified individual fled for his life, promising to pursue his early retirement idea. Jones had spent the next three hours deflating the egos of various Chadian military officers, some of whom had attempted to tell him what to do. Eventually, one of them had agreed to provide transport. Jones’s enthusiasm soon waned when he discovered that ‘transportation’ meant sitting in the back of a truck for an extended period of time.

At sunrise, the truck’s engine had failed, and could not be fixed. Being stranded in the middle of nowhere less than thirty miles from the Sudanese border was not improving things. This is going to be a war zone in less than a week, more likely than not. Regardless of the odds, the former Green Beret intended to carry out his orders to bring the senator’s daughter to safety. How, exactly, he was going to do that was still a mystery.

In frustration he had used his satellite phone to contact the Valiant. The support ship’s radio officer had not been helpful, saying that every effort was being made to get the group out of Chad. This is even worse than Afghanistan. In that particular conflict, then Lieutenant Jones had the unenviable task of being dropped out of an Air Force transport with a parachute strapped to his back. His mission had been to link up with warlords opposed to the Taliban, and then to seek out targets believed to be indirectly responsible for the 9/11 attacks. That had been terrifying enough, at least until the B-52s had smashed the crap out of any Taliban fighter dumb enough to leave the maze of mountain caves. After that, he was extracted and sent back to the US for leave. After he resigned his commission, Jones had joined the Peace Brigade. Jones decided that there was little choice left. The senator’s daughter could potentially become a valuable hostage. He contacted the Valiant, “Lone Chick to Bird’s Nest. I am requesting that Dragon Force be deployed to extract us. Authorization Zulu-Lima-Alfa-Niner-Seven.”

“Please confirm, Lone Chick. You are requesting deployment of Dragon Force for extraction?”

“Affirmative, Bird’s Nest. Out.” Commander Jones stowed the phone in his backpack, and walked back to the truck to assist with repairs. If they could not get the truck moving soon, Dragon Force would certainly be needed.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
0200, October 11, 2009

Dragon Force was not deployed with the Valiant. This was primarily because this would be impossible. Simply put, a Boeing 747-800 jumbo-jet freighter cannot land on any ocean going vessel, not to mention on one that is shorter than the aircraft itself. The Peace Brigade had recently purchased a single one of these aircraft to provide a rapidly deployable strike force that was equally rapidly extractable. The 747F freighter that was currently sitting in a hanger being readied for takeoff was arguably the most advanced and expensive aircraft of civilian origin. The original engines had been replaced with modern turbofans that provided a net thrust increase of nearly 40%. This had increased the aircraft’s un-refueled range to over 6,000 nautical miles.

These improvements paled in comparison to the contents of the cargo bay. Two odd looking craft, one in front of the other, were held in place by a complicated array of cables and supports. At first glace, they looked like oversized ultra light gliders. Closer inspection, however, revealed each craft to have twin jet engines with thrust vectoring capability. Each was capable of transporting fourteen passengers from 30,000 ft down to the ground, executing a vertical takeoff, and then re-entering the 747 mother ship through hidden belly doors. The idea was for the 747 to fly near the landing zone, launch and then recover the parasite craft to land or extract special operations forces, and then casually fly away. All in all, a perfect mission profile for the task at hand. Except for the fact that Chad was more than 6,000 nautical miles away. The modified jumbo jet could not land to refuel, because customs agents would see the state of the art craft carried inside. The Peace Brigade had no in-flight refueling tankers. These problems were causing Ralph Hutchinson to pull his hair out in frustration. Dragon Force was a new idea and was not officially mission capable yet. He had been put in charge of it, which made it unofficially his fault for not being able to deploy to Chad. Upon receiving the order to do just this, he had panicked. Eventually, he came up with a plan.

Washington D.C. 0235, October 11, 2009

The ringing of his phone did not awaken Senator Samuel Summer. This was mainly due to the fact that he was not sleeping at the time. Before the first ring had ended, the concerned Senator answered it. After listening for a minute or so, he asked a few questions. He ended the call, and then began another.

Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri
The same time

It did not take long to attain Blue Falcon Alert status. Upon receiving the order, the base commander quickly gave orders of the nature that had not been given since before the end of the Cold War. Although the term “Blue Falcon” was new, the basic idea was not. During the Cold War, one the USAF’s missions in the even of a nuclear conflict was to quickly and efficiently eliminate the most advanced Soviet nuclear weapons delivery systems. It was decided that the highest probability of success of such a mission would necessitate unconventional weapons. This, more than anything else, made Blue Falcon a last resort strategy. At the end of the Cold War, an unofficial rule had been made. If a war were declared between the USA and any foreign power, even a previous ally, that had the capability to initiate a weapon of mass destruction strike against the USA or any allied nation, that capability would be taken away using any means deemed necessary. Once airborne, the strike aircraft, in this case a group of B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, would receive an encoded confirmation order from the President. Upon receipt of this order, the strike would be initiated unless a specific abort order was given.

Eight B-2 stealth bombers would be launched, and their sixteen USAF crewmen were the best of the best. They had not participated in the original strikes against Sudanese military targets, and had been kept in reserve in case of some unknown threat.

Blue Falcon Alert status, or its equivalent, had never been ordered before. It was a truly horrific act perpetrated to prevent an act even more horrific. If necessary, the target nation would be reduced to a glassy desert with nearly 100% casualties. The reason for the current Blue Falcon Alert did not require this, partly because of modern weapons delivery systems, and partly because of Iran’s (relatively speaking) limited WMD arsenal. There were four targets, of which three were known to be missile silos. The fourth was a nuclear weapons production facility that happened to also be a nuclear power plant. If the strike went through, each target would be utterly annihilated. Conventional strikes were one thing. You could pick up the pieces and clean up the rubble. The same did not apply to nuclear strikes. The target zones would be irradiated for years to come, and radioactive particles would be sown around the world to greater or lesser extents by wind. Each crewman took some solace in the knowledge that only a madman would order such a measure unless it was necessary for national or global security reasons.

With the special weapons loaded aboard, eight of the most capable USAF intercontinental-strike aircraft roared into the night sky.

NORAD Headquarters, Cheyenne Mountain, Nevada, USA
One hour later

General Howard B. Hensley put the phone down. He was worried, yet calm. He also knew that he had a job to do. After conferring with his senior staff, he gave the only order he could. All commercial and private aircraft in US or Canadian airspace would be ordered to land immediately. Noncompliance would result in a fighter escort to drive the point home. Further noncompliance would result in the civilian aircraft in question getting “splashed”, or shot down. As this information went out to air traffic controllers and on to pilots, fighters and AWACS aircraft that were scrambled in large numbers. It would all be monitored from the instillation technically able to withstand a direct hit from a small nuclear warhead. General Hensley knew that the chances of this being tested were slim, considering that Iran did not have ability to strike North America. All the same, rules were rules, and a Blue Falcon Alert had been declared. He took some comfort in knowing that the level of airspace security they were gearing up for could be maintained almost indefinitely.

NATO would also be making similar arrangements over Europe for the protection of Italy and Germany, but commercial airliners would not be grounded due to political and bureaucratic nonsense. Why all this was necessary was unknown, as even modern air defenses could not stop ballistic missiles. Still, having military jets flying around tended to make civilians do what they were told, as it made whatever threat there was more noticeable to the average Joe. Of course, the general public was not aware of the planned nuclear strike.

Over the Atlantic Ocean, 2,500 miles offshore of the American east coast
0330 local time, October 11th, 2009

Dragon Force had taken off just under an hour ago, and the pilots were somewhat anxious. This was because flying just in front of the lumbering 747-800F freighter was a tanker aircraft. The crazy part was that the tanker aircraft was part of the USAF refueling fleet. The order to refuel a private aircraft must have come from way up the chain of command, and the pilots of the Dragon Force aircraft realized that the Peace Brigade was probably working in concert with the American government.

Once the large freighter had been refueled, it broke formation with the tanker and continued its journey eastward. The twelve members of the elite commando team were resting in bunks in the cargo compartment, and technicians were performing final checks on the two insertion-extraction vehicles.

Because the Dragon Force commando team was not required to remain undercover as the previous Peace Brigade team was, it was able to bring different weapons and equipment, including miniature, butterfly size unmanned air vehicles. In addition, the team would take with it four Desert Patrol Vehicles. Originally used by US Navy seals, they could reach speeds in excess of 75 miles per hour, and each carried a .50 caliber machinegun mount, twin 7.62 mm M60 machine guns, and two anti-tank missiles. When deployed effectively, Desert Patrol Vehicles could zoom into enemy positions, blaze away with their weapons, and zoom away again, making them perfect for light hit-and-run raids. If the Senator’s daughter or any Peace Brigade soldiers were being held captive when Dragon Force arrived, the DPVs would be highly useful in any rescue attempt. When the aircraft neared the West African coast, the commando team divided into two groups, and each was assigned one of the insertion-extraction vehicles. Over Chadian airspace, the two parasite craft dropped free of the modified cargo bay doors. Once this was accomplished, the 747 altered course toward the arranged aerial rendezvous point in Egypt. The twin insertion-extraction craft flew through the waning night sky like wraiths, invisible to radar and the naked eye. Once daylight hit, the strike team would lose one of its most precious advantages: invisibility.

Office of the President of Iran
Same Time

The Iranian president had worked hard to better his nation’s reputation, despite lingering western fears understandably brought about by the hostage crisis more than two decades ago, and later reinforced by rumors of a WMD arsenal. He had made leaps and bounds towards fixing these gross problems. The offer of millions of dollars, however, can change even the most idealistic of politician’s plans. In exchange for a large sum of money deposited in his Swiss bank account, the Iranian leader had agreed to support the idiotic Sudanese government’s ambitions. His horror at the request to declare war upon the United States of America was only satiated by a hefty bonus installment. Besides, if the Americans try pulling the same stunts in Iran that they did in Sudan, I will launch our missiles, as they full well know. If have earned more than 100 million dollars at no expense to myself. He would call the Belligerent American president soon to inform him of the consequences of doing so. The fundamentalist fools that constitute part of my cabinet need never know about the money. They just want to lash out against the west. If the Americans attack us, I will stand back and let them.

The Iranian leader smiled when he considered what his newly acquired spending money would buy: Secrecy, an expensive villa somewhere, and a small army to protect him from assassination attempts. Perfect.

Camp David Thirty minutes before scheduled nuclear strike on Iranian WMD targets

Admiral Scott Mulligan was going over the facts one last time with the President. “Sir, I will not advocate options, only present them. In half an hour, the B-2s will initiate the Blue Falcon strike. No further communications are necessary if you want them to launch the weapons. If you want to recall them, we have fifteen minutes. After that, the B-2s will ignore any and all communications they receive to either change targets or abort all together. You could give them a direct executive order to do so, and they would be court-marshaled for obeying you. Moving on, the mission commander has reported 100% mission completion capability. Nothing has gone wrong with the aircraft systems, and no one has accidentally ejected himself.”

The President had already made his decision. It was the only choice he had, really. “Mr. President, our pilots will obey their original orders to initiate a nuclear first strike. They were all handpicked when they became B-2 crewmen under the assumption that they might one day be responsible for a Blue Falcon strike. Now, do you want to follow your traditional one chance doctrine and call the Iranian President?”

I have obliterated the Sudanese Air Force, cremated a significant percentage of the Janjaweed militiamen, and now I want to- no, I don’t want to carry out the nuclear strikes, but I have to in order to protect our allies, don’t I? What next? Nuke Antarctica to stop penguin poachers? Invade North Korea to secure basic human rights? Declare war on the whole damn world? “God damn it! Get the Iranian president on the phone now! I know casualties at the target zones will be light, as they are not in populated areas, but a nuclear strike is still a nuclear strike. I have to give them a chance. Just upping and nuking them is inhuman. We have no time for negotiations or surgical strikes with naval aircraft. They Iranian president either surrenders RIGHT NOW or we nuke his missiles. Period.” Once the connection had been secured, the American President grabbed to phone, planning to ask why in God’s name Iran had declared war on the USA, among other things.

Various Locales

Captain Edgar Louis and his team quickly readied the Desert Patrol Vehicles, checked their equipment one last time, and drove east at highway speed. If by any chance the Peace Brigadiers and the Senator’s daughter were in danger, the rescue force had to get to them as soon as possible. The Peace Brigade board of directors did not like having to divert combat elements from anti-genocide missions, but they had an obligation to protect their own personnel.

Unknown to the Dragon Force commandos, that same board of directors was considering raising hell on earth to prevent any centralized Sudanese response ordered by the Sudanese President. Although the SAF had been hit hard, the army did have several attack helicopters at its disposal. As such, the board had decided unanimously to negate this centralized command and control capability. The Valiant was more than a freighter with some toy planes strapped to its back. The heavily modified vessel was armed with a battery of supersonic cruise missiles of Russian origin, armed with a variety of warheads. First and foremost, half of the missiles were tipped with conventional high explosive warheads for smashing hard targets. The remainder was split between sub-munitions canisters, fuel air explosives, and experimental electromagnetic pulse generators. Even if the decision were made to utilize this impressive arsenal, a further decision would have to be made concerning the Valiant itself. Launching sixty cruise missiles was not generally considered to be a casual or stealthy action. If the ship was needed in the future, its appearance would have to be heavily modified or it would be instantly recognized for what it was.

Of course, this consideration was secondary to the overall objective of ending the genocide, protection their personnel, and bringing those responsible to justice. If such a political in nature issue were considered, then the Peace Brigade would be no better than any government organization.

As such, roughly half an hour before Captain Edgar Louis and his team linked up with the Senator’s daughter, Khartoum was hit by several EMPs that fried anything electronic in nature- computers, televisions, phone lines, radios, car batteries, etc. After that, the Presidential Palace and other government buildings were demolished by flocks of 1,000lb high explosive warheads, sprinkled liberally with grenade size sub munitions, and then seared by fuel air explosive bombs. The results of all this included the all but total elimination of important Sudanese government personnel, large piles of rubble scattered around the city with small fires around them, and a large part of the populace feeling utterly terrified and wanting to surrender to whoever presented terms first.

The only flaw with the modus operandi pursued by the Peace Brigade was the following destabilization and anarchy throughout the country until a new group seized power. For General Ra'id Yusuf, the elimination of his government was wonderful. Being in direct command of the bulk of Sudan’s army, he was in an excellent position to seize power. Any sane person would have immediately contacted the international media and expressed his or her wishes to comply with the American President’s ultimatum. Being a murderous idiot, the General decided to “teach the Americans a lesson” by invading Darfur in force. As his tanks and armored personnel carriers trundled west, the General had one motivation: vengeance.

Over the Mediterranean

The Dragon Force rescue mission had been a resounding success, with no shots fired. As the 747 neared an Italian Air Force Base, the personnel on board decided that they had been incredibly lucky. They also hoped that the Italian paratroopers now preparing to deploy would enjoy the same luck.

The Italian aircraft carrier Cavour, escorted by two frigates and a destroyer, was steaming at 25 knots to the Suez Canal to provide air support for operation Buon Samaritan. Once the Italian flotilla linked up with the Reagan, an Italian airborne division would board transports and proceed to parachute into the buffer zone between Darfur and General Ra'id Yusuf’s mechanized forces. With a joint US-Italy carrier task force to provide air support, the elite Italian troops would be able to fend off light mechanized attacks. With millions of land mines airdropped into position by the USAF, the Italians might be able to stop a company of tanks. Even backed up further by a brigade from the 82nd airborne division of the US Army, the Italian troops could not possibly hope to stop three enemy mechanized divisions. Despite this, the Italians knew that their actions would buy time for the millions of refugees less than one hundred miles behind their lines. Hopefully, with the awesome firepower the USAF could bring to bear upon those that America was displeased with they would have a chance at winning.

Over Iraqi airspace 20 minutes before Blue Falcon Strike

Colonel Dave “Deli” Hamm, USAF, was listening carefully to the voice speaking in his ear from a speaker in his headset. He was rather nervous, as he had never spoken with the Commander In Chief before. “Colonel, I don’t like having to ask you to commit an act that has not been committed since 1945. At the same time, I have no choice if wish to uphold my oath to protect the United States of America. As you know, there are eight strike aircraft, and each carries two thermonuclear bombs with a yield of 250 kilotons of TNT each. Altogether, that’s 4 megatons; 400 times the yield of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The sheer power of the weapons you boys will be dropping on Iranian WMD sites is enormous. Your resolve to carry out your orders will not be forgotten. Colonel, your original orders are hereby confirmed. You will disregard any and all further orders to the contrary, even if they come from me, or even God himself. Good luck Colonel.”

Colonel Hamm knew he would carry out his orders even if doing so resulted in his death. He would not allow himself to fail under any circumstances whatsoever. As the B-2s entered Iranian airspace, search radars made their threat receivers chirp, but came nowhere close to acquisition. The stealth bombers peeled off in pairs to their assigned targets, and began varying their throttles according to plan. Each pair of nuclear-armed bombers would arrive at and engage their targets at precisely the same time.

It seemed that, for reasons of global security, the Islamic Republic of Iran would be on the receiving end of the greatest wrath man had created so far. It was a pity really, that it had to be done. The Iranian president’s decision to declare war on the United State of America was a foolish one indeed, considering the balance of power. Objectively, there was no good cause the Iranian leader could be considering in his actions. The opposite held true for his American counterpart. As the readouts in their cockpits read “00:00:10”, the USAF crewmen flicked switches that opened the bomb-bay doors. GPS, onboard radar, and target recognition software could guide each nuclear weapon simultaneously. The probability of successful warhead detonation for any individual bomb was roughly 99.950 percent. At “00:00:00”, sixteen weapons fell free from eight stealth bombers. Each target had four weapons assigned to it. As the missiles were not in protective silos, but rather mounted on mobile trucks, each site only really needed one warhead. An astonishing yield of one megaton, or 1,000,000 tons of TNT would obliterate each target.

In Tehran, the Iranian capitol, the Iranian president was standing on his balcony and happened to be gazing absent-mindedly in the direction of a missile site. All of a sudden, the sky lit up as bright as day. The light intensified to be even brighter than the sun tenfold. Then, the president heard a horrible roar, louder than a jet engine at full throttle. The window behind him shattered from the enormous shockwave and he felt as though a small ocean wave had crashed into him. When the light faded, it was replaced by complete blackness caused by the sand and dust lifted into the air blocking the starlight. Gasping from shock, the Iranian leader knew everything was over. The American president had clearly ordered the Iranian missiles destroyed, and nuclear weapons had been used aplenty. Although first furious, he soon became worried about what would happen next.

“Next”, as it turned out, did not involve nuclear weapons, but instead the presidential bodyguards hustling him bodily to a bunker.

Camp David Five minutes later

The President of the United Sates of America was visibly shaken. If his previous self-doubt was as strong as a garden hose, his current self-doubt was worse than Niagara Falls. What in God’s name have I done? Are those who act to protect others doomed to failure unless they destroy world peace to succeed? Is saving a few million lives worth what I have ordered? What about the tens of millions of other people starving around the world? Must I deploy the US Military to help everyone? Even if I should from a moral standpoint, am I as the President allowed to do so? Then I would be nothing more than a dictator, albeit a benevolent one…

Admiral Scott Mulligan saw his president was deeply troubled, and did not know what to do. As his military subordinate, the Admiral should not try to comfort him. As his friend… He walked out of the meeting room, walked up to a marine sergeant who was busy smoking a cigarette. When the NCO saw the four star Flag Officer approach him, he dropped the cig in panic, crushed it with his perfectly shined boot, and snapped to attention, saluting in the process, in one smooth motion. The National Security Advisor returned the salute, and then spoke, “At ease, marine. Go to the kitchens and have some good coffee and munchies delivered to the Commander In Chief. Then round up a detail of riflemen to escort the Senator in to see him.”

The NCO snapped to attention, ramrod straight, saluted, and bellowed, “YES SIR!” He then pivoted around 180 degrees and marched out the door.

Smiling, the ex naval aviator returned to the meeting room to find the president weeping. Instantly recognizing the cause of the president’s emotions, the National Security Advisor did something that would either ruin his career or increase the president’s respect for him. He walked directly up to the weeping leader and said calmly and forcefully, “Sir, you have nothing to be upset about. Your actions may have resulted in the deaths of many people, but they have saved an enormous number of innocent lives. You are not a terrorist, sir. You have it better off than Truman did. Even though nuking Hiroshima and Nagasaki also saved lives, it was at the expense of civilians. Your actions, sir, are not.” The president looked up at the Admiral with an expression of interest, albeit one devoid of any force or determination whatsoever. It seemed the past week had taken a great toll on him. If he backs off now… I cannot let him fail in his mission now. “Mr. President, you are not behaving appropriately! You are the leader of the free world, now in more than just unofficial nickname. Remember your whole spiel about the Kennedy Doctrine? ‘We will bear any burden, pay any price…’ What happened to that, huh? Mr. President, there are a lot of people out there who are praising your courageous actions, some of whom very openly. I know you, Mr. President. You would have no problem emptying a machinegun clip into someone about to murder a kid. This is no different! The responsibility to protect others IS THE SAME FOR ALL OF US!”

“It’s time you get back to directing you campaign to protect the innocent, instead of sulking in self-pity. The Air Force is getting ready to drop land mines from pre-placed NATO stockpiles. General Ra'id Yusuf is now in charge of Sudan’s military. We are gearing up to punch some holes in his tanks and create general chaos again. The Navy is preparing to support our embassy evacuation effort, and lend fire support in general. The 82nd airborne is over the Atlantic right now so it can join the Italian paratroops ASAP. Even with all this hardware and these troop movements, it’s going to be hard to stop Yusuf’s army cold.” “Mr.

President, you did not begin fighting for human rights for political reasons. Don’t let them motivate you now, after all of our progress. You are not alone. The Italians and Germans are committing troops, and someone launched a fleet of supersonic cruise missiles at Khartoum, eliminating the Sudanese government. A huge part of this country’s populace supports you, even more than when you presented a bill in the Senate to boycott the 2008 Olympics before you were president. You need to lead your troops, Mr. President.”

As if on cue, Senator Samuel Summer strode into the room, a broad grin on his face. He joyfully exclaimed the good new about his daughter, and then advised the Admiral to turn on a television to CNN.

 

[GovernorGeneral]

Chapter 5 Various Locales October 11th, 2009

Jefferson Williams was in as much awe as anybody else. He had not expected nuclear weapons to ever be used in anger again, much less on orders from the President of the United States. Well, at least it was justified then, and it most certainly is justified now. For Williams, it was simple. A foreign power had declared war upon the US. Said foreign power had nuclear weapons; therefore, said nuclear weapons had been removed from the table, with no chances taken. ‘Overkill’ did not apply.

Although his primary concern was ending the genocide in Darfur, ending the appalling conditions in many 3rd world countries in general, and removing corrupt rulers from power, Williams felt that the conscientious president had chosen the only option, really. When Iran had first declared war a few days ago, he was first worried that it would detract from the president’s campaign to end the genocide. In one swift strike, however, that threat had been decisively removed. Even so, the situation in general looked grim.

Spread out over several square feet of floor space in front of him were several maps, with troop locations and movements penciled in with a wide variety of colors. Even with all of the air support, I don’t know if that damn mechanized army can be stopped. Only with more nuclear weapons, massive amounts of luck, or psychological warfare could the refugee camps of Darfur be realistically protected.

Williams’ sense of hopelessness soon changed to anger as the Sudanese ambassador was escorted into the room. “Guess what. Your whole government was knocked out of commission recently. Oddly enough, your citizens haven’t turned to anarchy. Seems as though they like the chance at real democracy. Basically, you are free to go now. You serve no purpose as a bargaining chip anymore. However, listen up. If you ever try to help cover up human rights violations again, I will personally hunt you down and bring you to justice.

*

Colonel Marco Angelo surveyed the landscape around him. A rifleman company was busy digging foxholes; the paratroopers were performing their tasks with gusto. The Italian officer looked up to see yet more airborne soldiers suspended from parachutes. Once all of the men were down, the transports would begin dropping in munitions, especially MILAN anti-tank missiles. Between the mines several miles distant and the swarms of MILANs the Italian troops could launch, there was a good chance that many of the advancing Sudanese tanks and armored personnel carriers would be reduced to scrap. But not enough! At least during the Cold War the terrain was on our side and NATO could field thousands of tanks and artillery pieces… Here we have what? A few brigades of paratroopers and a handful of anti-tank missiles?

Despite his forebodings, the feisty Sicilian knew he and his men were fighting for an honorable cause. If the civilians of his country were threatened, he would fight tooth and claw. He would do the same for the innocent refugees here, if it came to that. Some of the men blamed the American president, but Angelo knew better. Even as things stood now, the situation was already much improved- for the people of Darfur. Unless, of course, those three mechanized divisions get to them. What I would give for an American Armored Cavalry Regiment…

*

Little did Colonel Angelo know that other people also wanted some heavy armored support on the scene. At an Israeli Defense Force base, several US Army officers and their IDF counterparts were busy discussing logistics. Specifically, they wanted to figure out how to transport an Armored Squadron’s worth of M1 Abrams main battle tanks from Israel to Sudan. The IDF supplied the answer. Israeli trucks designed to carry tanks along freeways could transport the several ton monsters. There was a catch, though, the Israeli Defense Force wanted to come along to play with an armored brigade of their own. The reasons, they stated, included the desire to help an ally, train soldiers, prevent another Holocaust, and again show the near invincibility of the Israeli military.

A joint force of roughly divisional strength, with nearly two hundred tanks, would pass from Israel to Sudan via Egypt within twenty-four hours. Whether it would arrive in time to make a difference was another matter entirely.

*

In the Red Sea, the two Nimitz-class aircraft carriers cruised in formation with the Italian carrier and the combined escort force at twenty knots. In less than 12 hours, a strike force of more than one hundred naval aircraft would blaze in behind a swarm of cruise missiles and hammer the Sudanese mechanized divisions. A group of B1 Lancer bombers from Diego Garcia would then pound what was left with specialized anti-tank weapons.

*

Across the United States, FedEx cargo jetliners that had been subsidized by the US government were being called into federal service, along with their pilots. They were ordered to various USAF bases, where military personnel loaded them with humanitarian supplies. The lumbering aircraft were then sent to NATO bases in Europe, and from there, to airstrips in Eastern Chad under fighter escort, courtesy of Italian and German pilots and aircraft.

*

Crisis situations are wonderful for exposing glaring flaws in procedure and/ or policy, as the government of the People’s Republic of China discovered to its displeasure. In one of its bigger mistakes, it denounced the campaign of ending genocide, calling it “blatant western aggression that threatened international relations” and then threatening to “intervene as necessary to protect the allies of the People’s Republic of China, using methods greater or equal to those employed by the United States of America against both Sudan and Iran”. Anyone who knew anything about the sensitivities of America would have advised against making such remarks on international television. Hosting the Olympic games while selling weapons to murderers was one thing. Expressing interest in joining the murderers was something entirely different.

The average Joe was not exactly pleased with the use of nukes in Iran. The blatant threat by the People’s Republic of China to use nukes against the US infuriated many Americans, and this fury was channeled by lobbyists on the payroll of anti-genocidal organizations, various more outspoken religious leaders, and, of course, the flame-fanning media.

*

The Joint Conference to End Genocide chose to use this anger to achieve something. The organization, composed of religious figures, human rights activists, politician wanna-bees, and people with nothing better to do, held a summit in Chicago, inviting dozens of guest speakers. The first guest speaker was probably the most effective.

A youth minister in his late twenties stepped up to the podium. His speech would make him arguably as significant as Dr. King was for the civil rights movement. The young man of God would not begin his fame by organizing a bus boycott, but by organizing something of a much larger scale.

“Friends, we are gathered here today for neither economic nor political reasons. We are gathered here today for one sole purpose. That purpose, ladies and gentlemen, is one that cannot be ignored. We are here to help other people, people on the other side of the world, people who need us. We must not fail them. Some will say that the issues involved are complicated, and I am not here to disagree with them. I understand the complexity of the situation. So did our president, yet he acted in a way some call foolishly aggressive. It is important to look at everything not only as it is, but as it should be, in the abstract. Is it right to murder someone? Is it right to murder tens of thousands of people? We all know that to do so is wrong.”

He paused to look some members of the audience in the eye, and then continued. “What we often forget is that it is equally wrong to stand by when another person is in need of help that we can provide. Our president is a brave man. He willingly risked his political career, making a decision solely based upon principle. It did not matter that, in a way, his actions started a war, because in a way, they placed our nation on the side of good. Yes, this is a conflict of good versus evil. Those who declare themselves to be allies of genocide are evil. Those who do not support genocide are good. It is a rare occasion indeed when an issue is black and white, so to speak.”

“It is important to remember that the people of a country whose government is evil are not at fault. What I will propose may hurt those people economically, but it will ultimately cripple the evil government. Remember, we cannot be for human rights without being against those who seek to destroy them. We cannot be for what is good without being against what is evil. There will be those who say of my proposal, ‘That’s crazy! It’ll ruin the economy!’ or ‘It will just hurt more innocent people’. Do not fight them, for to be ignorant is not to be evil.”

The youth minister glared the audience in a coolly calculated maneuver to rally its members to him. “Will you oppose genocide and ALL of its allies, or will you count yourself among the ranks of Hitler, Stalin, Mao? We cannot greatly affect the outcome of the military conflict in Darfur. That is up to the president. What we can do is do our part on the economic battlefield. If The Armies of Sudan win, they will undoubtedly receive support from the government of People’s Republic of China. We, my friends, can deny that support to the enemy, if we so choose. Our nation buys much of its merchandise, albeit mostly indirectly, from that same evil government. I call upon ALL OF YOU to immediately cease funding genocide by purchasing consumer goods produced by the allies of genocide. I call upon ALL American companies involved in such trade to make new arrangements with other countries such as Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, and Indonesia; specially, countries that do not murder civilians and fund genocide. We must boycott everything that it produced in the People’s Republic of China. In addition, we must also boycott any company that has contracts with that evil government. We must do this even if it means hardships for ourselves.”

Pleased to see many looks of agreement, he went on. “My vendetta is NOT with the people, but with the government. If this ends in the collapse of that evil government, and in the instillation of a democratic one, so much the better. By working together, we can make a difference. I will probably take a lot of flak for what I am saying, but I will go on anyway. It is not easy for me to advocate this plan that will cause suffering for the innocent people of China, but there is no other option. I will fully support any effort on the part of the people of China to rebel against their government, and I call upon our government to do the same.” He had them, hook, line, and sinker. “Friends, we MUST stand against evil in all its forms, whatever the cost. Otherwise, we are slaves to evil. I would rather die a free man that live as a slave to evil. Will you take a stand? Will you combat evil in every way you can? Will you end genocide? WILL YOU DO WHAT IS RIGHT?” he boomed

As one, the members of the audience answered him, “YES!” The cameras of several news channels had immortalized the whole inflammatory speech, multiplying its effect exponentially.

*

At Camp David, the president and Senator Summer were in awe. Quickly comprehending the effect it would have, the president turned to Admiral Mulligan and snapped, “Get the Secretary of the Treasury on the phone ASAP! I need to make a public statement soon. With any luck, this won’t start WWIII.”

*

The feisty youth minister of the JCEG had put into motion events he had not anticipated. That did not mean, however, that he regretted his actions. Across the United States of America, people who shared his sentiments decided to follow his advice. People who did not were lobbied to do so, and for the most part they were successfully persuaded. Demonstrations were organized, including one outside the embassy of the People’s Republic of China. More significantly, the sales of good manufactured in the communist oligarchy plummeted. Business contracts with Red China were terminated. New ones were signed into effect with neighboring nations such as Taiwan and Japan.

Although at first reluctant to admit that they had made a mistake, the senior officials of the Chinese government soon saw that something was wrong when they examined spreadsheets which denoted an economic crisis. As they saw it, there were few options: give in to the capitalists and face dishonor, seek an compromise that would undoubtedly be advantageous to the west, or go on the offensive to regain lost territory.

In Beijing, the senior party officials held an emergency meeting. Almost unanimously, they voted to take action to protect the economic future of their nation. Due to the near universal boycotts of Chinese goods in the USA, it was decided to instead sell to other nations such as Russia and the countries of the European Union.

Even if new contracts had been accepted, they would not have protected the economy of the most populous nation on Earth. As it was, the human rights lobby did have some clout in Europe, and Russians couldn’t afford anything like the massive spending Americans could. The result was a rising superpower trapped by the embargoes and boycotts of the western nations. Objective historians would later point out the similarities between this situation and the one Japan faced in 1941. The government of China did not want to wage war with America, despite its remarks on international TV. It did not have that ‘luxury’, due to the strategic balance of power, or more accurately, lack of. This made the People’s Republic of China into a wounded beast not really wanting to lash out, but not really having any option but to do so.

The military commanders of the People’s Liberation Army, Army Air Force, and Army Navy were ordered to produce a swift plan of action to “remedy the situation with all due haste”. The result was chaos within the Chinese military, panic in the military of Taiwan and Japan, and utter confusion in the intelligence services of the USA.

 

[GovernorGeneral]

Chapter 6
Darfur region, Sudan 0830, October 12, 2009

General Yusuf was confident in his ability to finish what the Americans had started. His thee divisions were spread out over a sixty mile front, in a long north-south line. The tanks were in battalion size groups, with the mechanized infantry and artillery pieces following close behind. Everything was covered by a vast array of air search radars, SAM batteries, and anti-aircraft guns. Everything was progressing perfectly when one of his leading tanks hit a land mine. The efforts of the USAF over the past few days were starting to show. As the General screamed for everything to halt immediately into a radio, another tank hit a landmine not one hundred yards in front of him. Curse the American air power! If that is how they wish to conduct matters… The furious General ordered his subordinate units to move ten kilometers back east, and then to head north around the string of land mines. Yes, he could have used artillery to clear a kilometer wide path, but it would take days to get everything through, and they would surely hit more landmines. No, he would regroup his forces into one strong fist, curve around the mines, and plow into whatever opposed him. Had the Sudanese military official known about the combined US-Israeli force now traversing Egypt, and perhaps more importantly what it was capable of, he would have chosen a different option. A delay of one or two days means nothing. He could not have been more mistaken.

When Colonel Angelo received word from an American Air Force liaison officer that the enemy force had halted and was moving north, he could have danced or song a song in joy. It would give the American 82nd airborne division time to dig in and get ready. It might allow the US-Israeli armored force to intercept the Sudanese one, with any luck.

Formosa Straight, Taiwanese territorial waters
1500 October13th, 2009

The oldest of the Nimitz class carriers, the USS Nimitz herself, cruised along, powered by her twin nuclear reactors. Two Ticonderoga class Aegis air defense cruisers accompanied her, as well as four frigates and two destroyers. The seven-ship battle group was due for a weeklong stopover in Taipei for crew leave. All flight operations had ended two hours earlier, and enlisted men and officers alike were planning their vacations.

The maintenance personnel for the carrier air wing were especially happy, because they could stock up on equipment that was either in short supply or gone entirely. Four hours after docking, the Nimitz group received new orders. They were to depart as soon as all of the conventionally powered ships had their fuel bunkers filled. All shore leave canceled, except in some isolated cases. The US Navy task force was to work in concert with elements of the Republic of China’s navy on a ‘cooperative exercise’ that happened to put them in control of ocean real estate between the island of Formosa and the Chinese mainland. The American Admiral in command of the carrier group raised his eyebrows at his orders to “make your presence known to the People’s Liberation Army Navy in the context of supporting the Republic of China’s naval forces in the defense of the Republic of China.” The sixty-eight year old admiral held a meeting of his intelligence staff to figure out his group’s order of battle for any possible confrontations with the People’s Liberation Army Navy.

Red Sea
Eleven minutes later

The surface combatants of the two US Navy carrier strike groups shrouded themselves in smoke as they launched between them nearly two hundred sub-sonic Tomahawk cruise missiles. Global Hawk UAVs flying over the target areas would automatically choose targets and give the Tomahawks instructions accordingly. Mainly, air defenses would be targeted, allowing the Navy pilots to hammer tanks and armored personnel carriers with less risk to themselves. Then, several squadrons of Air Force

A-10 Warthog ground attack aircraft based out of Saudi Arabia would bring to bear tens of thousands of depleted uranium armor piercing rounds and volleys of anti-tank missiles on the Sudanese ground forces.

Eight squadrons of naval fighters from the two American carriers waited until the last of the cruise missiles cleared the launch tubes to streak after them. The Italian Harrier jump-jets would provide fighter cover for the joint group, aided by American E-2 Hawkeye radar planes.

Over Philidelphia, USA
Same time

The President of the United States of America was sitting in a helicopter piloted by a USMC Colonel, reviewing his notes for a speech he would be giving at the University of Pennsylvania. As the chopper neared the landing site, he could see vast crowds of students waving signs. He couldn’t read them, but he could imagine the general gist. From recent polls, eighty-percent of the nation was glad he was taking a stand against genocide, although roughly forty-percent condemned his use of military force to solve the problem. His speech would have to address the campaign against genocide, both in the military aspect directed by him and in the economic aspect vaguely directed by various human rights organizations. In a way, the boycott picking up pace against the People’s Republic of China was the most serious issue. From a political standpoint at least…if the boycott gains enough momentum, it could cripple the PRC! From a democratic point of view, he as president was supposed to support what the people supported. Except in the case of this damn boycott, the PRC is going to get pissed off, and our economy could take a major punch because of it. The thing was, the USA could, to an extent, trade with other nations to make up. The PRC could not. The President knew that as a leader knowledgeable of the global economy, he should try to halt the boycott, or at lease push for some compromise. But then I would be letting politics become more important than human rights. Besides, it’s not just Darfur the PRC is hurting. That crackdown on Tibet that began after the 2008 Olympics ended… In ‘policing actions’, the government of China had murdered hundreds of Tibetan civilians. It had been worse than Tiananmen Square in 1989. We will pay any price, bear any burden…

With new, anger-driven resolve, the President disembarked from the helicopter and got ready to knowingly fan the flames ignited by a certain youth minister earlier. He waved to the assembled students, and took his place behind the lectern. He grasped the wooden podium firmly, and his knuckles turned white. I have no choice if I am to end human rights violations, once and for all…

“Friends, Americans, countrymen. The events of the past week have shocked us all. I am directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people, some of them innocent civilians. That weighs heavily upon me, and I judge myself perhaps more harshly than any political critic ever could. I think of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his actions during the civil rights movement. I would like to think of myself as somewhat of a counterpart for the human rights movement. Sadly, this is not, and cannot ever be, so. Dr. King advocated four steps in securing morally right ends. First, one must gather the facts and hard evidence of a moral wrong. I have done so through the intelligence assets of the United States Armed Forces. Second, one must try to negotiate with the other party. As in the civil rights movement, this was not possible do to the stubbornness of the opposition. Third, one must be willing to take the consequences of nonviolent direct action. Clearly, it was not possible to employ nonviolent means. Also, I cannot, really, decide for this country what we are willing to withstand, politically, economically, and socially as a result of the campaign against genocide. Only, you, the people, can do so. It seems that you wish me to go forward with Operation Good Samaritan, as the polls suggest. I have ordered violent, direct action against the oppressors of the innocent. The direct action has taken place, and continues to take place. Understand, people of America, that I do not intend to make this into another Iraq war. Yes, we have boots on the ground. But they are preparing to fight a conventional conflict; a conflict that we can win with flying colors. Some of our brave souls in the armed forces will most likely be killed in the conflict. One, a naval aviator, already has. He did not die defending his country, but instead defending innocent civilians. Those civilians that he sacrificed himself to protect had families, just like you or I. I do not want this war to drag on. The opponents of human rights- the supporters of genocide, can surrender at anytime. Until such a time, I will use any and every means at my disposal to defeat them.”

“I ordered the use of nuclear weapons against Iran in order to deprive a nation at war with the USA of its own nuclear arsenal. I do not regret giving that order, but it pains me that it was necessary. Throughout history, there have been people who sought to oppress and murder innocents. Throughout history, there have been those who took a stand against them.”

“Our world has many issues. Now, I am focused on securing human rights on a global scale. This issue is not the only one staring us in the face, but it is the most urgent. Once Operation Good Samaritan is concluded, I will begin proposing legislation to combat the ever-present threat of Global Warming. The Genocide in Darfur threatens thousands of people now. Global Warming threatens tens of millions in the near future. I could go on for hours about the many issues facing our world. As the President of the United States of America, I can influence the big picture, and so I will.”

“The Joint Conference to End Genocide has proposed a holistic boycott of anything and everything produced in the People’s Republic of China. The JCEG has also proposed a boycott of any and every business or company that trades with the PRC in any way. As a politician, it is my responsibility to alert the American people to the fact that such boycotts have the very real potential to shatter the economy of the PRC, as well as substantially damage ours to a lesser extent. As a compassionate human being, I am glad that such boycotts are nonviolent. As a politician, I wish to caution the government of the PRC that its actions with regard to human rights could economically hurt China. As a compassionate human being, I urge the PRC to cease immediately its support of human rights violations and genocide. I too, will, personally, boycott all trade with the People’s Republic of China. In my official capacity, I wish to remind the citizens of the USA that refusing to purchase goods from a particular entity is well within your constitutionally guaranteed rights.”

“I also wish to draw attention to the alarming military maneuvers being performed by the People’s Liberation Army. Massive troop concentrations are moving towards the North Korean border, as well as towards the stretch of coast opposite the Republic of China, more commonly known as Taiwan. And yes, the Republic of China is a democratic nation, independent of the Peoples’ Republic of China. The USA will do everything in its power to preserve the freedom of the citizens of Taiwan and South Korea. Know this: I do not propose war. I propose the continued support for free people by the USA, be it economically, in principle, or even militarily, if need be. I consider the invasion of a sovereign nation for political purposes an immoral act that violates human rights. As such, I hold the officials of the government of the People’s Republic of China personally responsible should any invasion of any nation by the People’s Liberation Army take place.”

“Within minutes from now, elements of the US Navy and Air Force will engage the Sudanese mechanized formations currently en route to the Darfurian refugee camps. If, following this engagement, the Sudanese forces continue to advance, I will order their complete and utter destruction. Finally, I call upon the government of the People’s Republic of China to back down from its position in support of genocide and other human rights violations.”

Darfur Region, Sudan
Two minutes later

The first wave of cruise missiles struck with deadly accuracy. SA-10 “Grumble” surface to air missile batteries were clobbered, and mobile radar vehicles were reduced to scrap. The infantry units grabbed shoulder-launched SAMs and foolishly flipped on the targeting systems. The Global Hawk UAVs scanned the area hit by the first fifty cruise missiles, running scenarios and mission parameters through their computers. A conclusion was reached, and the remaining Tomahawks were vectored in. Some dropped sub-munitions on infantry wielding missile launchers, while others plowed into remaining air defense vehicles. It was estimated that the sub-sonic cruise missiles alone neutralized between forty and sixty percent of the Sudanese air defenses.

The remaining search radars detected heavy jamming from the east. The US Naval fighters were nearing the target area. Anti-radar missiles were fired at those same search radars, taking all of them out. With no radar cover, the Sudanese formations were mauled by American smart bombs and air to ground missiles. The troops of General Yusuf’s army were shocked and terrified. Their comrades had been killed with apparent ease, with no enemy losses to show for it. Their doubts were only enhanced further when sixteen A-10 Warhogs blazed in behind a wall of armor piercing cannon fire, loosing volley after volley of anti-tank missiles. Vehicles were nearly sliced in half by hundreds of depleted uranium rounds, while others were blown to pieces by missiles.

A few hours later, twelve B-1 Lancers dropped cluster bombs with less material, but just as much psychological, effect. General Yusuf’s forces were down to two divisions’ effective strength, but the General was more furious than ever, and stubbornly continued. Even after all the fireworks, the Italian and American paratroopers were still in a precarious position. The safety of the Darfurian refugees hung by a thread, although the humanitarian supplies airlifted by FedEx free of charge were starting to reach the camps.

Taipei, Taiwan

0942, October 14th, 2009

The nervous thirty seven year old tried to appear relaxed and casual as he hurried towards an intersection. He might be late! He increased his pace, and eventually reached the corner. Wei Chang lit up a cigarette as he waited. A nondescript taxi pulled up, and he got in. Chang only went through this ritual when ordered to do so by Beijing. Usually, it meant he had a change of orders. He had barely closed the door when the taxi screeched away into the traffic, and the driver began speaking rapid-fire mandarin at him. As the Taiwanese citizen on the payroll of the People’s Republic of China’s intelligence services listened, he grew more and more surprised. By the time Wei Chang was dropped off at another corner, he could hardly believe it was finally happening. They had better reward me well for this!

China Sea 1122, October 14th, 2009

The USS Chicago, a Los Angeles class nuclear powered attack submarine, prowled along at periscope depth, barely making four knots. The American submarine had been following the Xia, the People’s Republic of China’s only ballistic missile submarine, or “boomer”, ever since it had left port the previous day. The captain of the Chicago had decided to let his superiors know of his valuable find, and had broken off pursuit to transmit a message via satellite at periscope depth. As soon as the microburst shot off into the sky, the submarine dove back down to a depth of three hundred feet, and increased speed to nine knots. At no point did the Chinese captain of the Xia ever suspect he was being followed. He had his orders, and was taking the Xia out into the Pacific Ocean. It just so happened that the location the Xia had been ordered to would put US cities in range of the submarine’s nuclear tipped ballistic missiles. Chicago would stealthily follow the PRC’s only ballistic missile submarine, just as decades earlier she followed Soviet submarines.

Near Seoul, South Korea 1404, October 14th, 2009

The two F-15C Eagle air superiority fighters of the US Air Force cruised along at just under the speed of sound, flying just above treetop level. An E-3 Sentry AWACS had picked up a swarm of outdated MIG fighters over North Korea heading south toward the Demilitarized Zone. The ready alert had been scrambled, while the rest of the squadron’s twelve fighters were hurriedly prepped for launch. It was the second time it had happened that day, and the American officers were trying to figure out why the heck the North Koreans were wasting precious jet fuel surging practically all of their air force. Colonel Chuck Mallory was not pleased. Probably just trying to tire us out for when the Chinese air force arrives…

Egypt, near Sudanese border 0800, October 15th, 2009

Colonel Mark Giordano of Tiger Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, US Army surveyed the dusty road ahead. Tiger Squadron was still embarked on flatbed trucks. Once the US-Israeli task force reached the Sudanese border, the armored vehicles would be offloaded to drive forward themselves. The Israeli force would probably prove to be highly useful, as it alone carried artillery.

His plan was to hit the Sudanese mechanized force from the north, driving a wedge between two halves with his forward units, then push the eastern half back to where it had come from. At the same time, the Israeli force would keep the remainder of the Sudanese force occupied with heavy artillery support and a massive attack with tanks and infantry carriers. If that did not prove to be enough, a squadron of A-10s would strafe what was left with cannon fire and missiles. First, however, we have to catch them. That air strike bought us time, as the Sudanese general is regrouping his forces and trying to cover everything with his remaining air defenses. If he had any sense, he’d give up now. Heck, if he had any conscience, he would never have threatened to slaughter thousands of refugees.

NATO rapid deployment force command post, Darfur region, Sudan
0815, October 16th, 2009

Colonel Angelo and his American counterpart were viewing several LCD screens displaying what a Global Hawk UAV was seeing currently. The American commanding officer of the 82nd Airborne detachment pointed at one of the vehicles. “That one. The bastard’s in that vehicle. It’s sending out the most radio transmissions, and is in a relatively centralized location.” He turned to a Sergeant. “Get me CENTCOM now.”

One of the US military’s standard doctrines in fighting “low intensity regional conflicts” was to eliminate senior enemy commanders at every opportunity. In Washington D.C., General Matthews picked up the phone after the first ring. The Colonel on the other end gave him very good news, and asked a question. The best part was, CENTCOM had the expressed authority from the President to initiate just what the Colonel was suggesting.

Colonel Angelo was appalled at the American’s audacity. He felt that deliberately targeting an senior commander was somehow cheating. On the other hand, it could save lives. Many lives. He watched in awe as the US Air Force liaisons coordinated with officers on an E-3 Sentry AWACS. Minutes later, two Predator UCAVs loaded with twin hellfire antitank missiles were given new instructions. They banked gracefully and began automatically rechecking their targeting and weapons systems.

General Yusuf was furious. His forces had been hit by enemy airpower several times. For the most part, it had reduced his air defenses to scrap, although it was rattling his tank crews, and badly. Many tanks and other tracked vehicles had been clobbered, and his supply lines were getting dangerously long, making them vulnerable to air strikes. His most senior colonel, commanding the forward armored units, was doing well, all things considered. A pity he hadn’t had the chance to engage worthy enemy forces. Soon, that will change. The Sudanese general knew his ability to control things would soon fall apart with continued air strikes, although he also knew that such attacks could not stop his armored forces. He picked up a radiophone and instructed his subordinate commanders to spread their units out, making them less vulnerable to enemy air power, and also gave them freedom to act individually to achieve the objective of taking several major refugee camps.

Seconds after putting the phone down, General Yusuf was killed by laser-guided anti-tank missiles launched from unmanned aircraft.

The White House, Washington D.C., USA
Less than three minutes later

The President’s confidence was returning. It seemed that things were looking up. Unit, that is, Admiral Scott Mulligan spoke up. “Bad new, sir. Yes, the Air Force and Navy kicked the snot out of the late Yusuf’s forces, but they still have far more ground combat power than we have in-theatre. All we have to stop ‘em is a little less than a division of light infantry, US and Italian. And we can’t trade space for time, either, Mr. President. Our guys are on foot, and they sure as hell can’t run faster than the enemy can drive in tanks. We’ve gotta stop them cold. If they break through our lines, we have no way of stopping them. The good news, sir, is that the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment is going to come down on them like a ton of bricks. Downside, sir, is that we lack the firepower to truly defeat the enemy in a conventional battle. That’s the price of fighting on the wrong side of four to one odds. What we can do, however, is slow the enemy down and give them a hell of a bloody nose. The commander of the 3rd Cav knows his stuff, and he should be able to handle it.”

The truth was, that despite all of its bravado and advanced technology, the US Army simply could not fight wars on the scale of Desert Storm anymore. Not being able to deliver a flurry of hard punches did not, however, make things hopeless. The Sudanese tanks and infantry fighting vehicles needed literally tons of Diesel fuel each day. Fuel that could only be supplied by trucks not really designed to go cross-country. That made for a reenactment of the logistical issues of the German Army when it first invaded the Soviet Union in 1941. The Sudanese armored forces quickly outran their own supply lines, and their advance was stalling, without any direct contact with enemy ground forces. So, the various Colonels all halted their battalions and ordered the supply trucks to come forward to meet them. Once the tanks were refueled however, they would be able to drive forward again, ready to slaughter all in their path.

The national security advisor continued, “Mr. President, we cannot let the Sudanese army make contact with our airborne forces. We need to hit the enemy supply lines ASAP. Our air power can handle it, but it will mean the tanks themselves will be relatively untouched. At least a third of them will be able to make it to our lines at about the same time the 3rd Cav smashes into their flank. It’s going to be a close one, sir.” “At the same time, we have other issues we need to worry about. Various world events,” meaning mainly operation Good Samaritan and its associated political fallout, “have caused the People’s Republic of China and North Korea to get feisty. The PRC has a Type A Mechanized Army practically on the North Korean border. It’s obvious what they are planning: Korean War, part two. This time, we won’t have the UN behind us, and we won’t be facing a bunch of peasants armed with rifles. Our boys will be facing a modern armored force comprised of several armored and motor-rifle divisions based on the old Soviet model. In addition, they have moved air assets to the Formosa Straight area, as well as a heck of a lot of warships. With that combination, they could conceivably take on a defeat the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group. They could then pound the hell out of Taiwan with short-range conventional ballistic missiles targeted at airbases, airports, and military bases. Next, we can expect a massive amphibious invasion behind several divisions of paratroopers.”

“Keep in mind, sir, that there will mean a huge ground force overrunning South Korea and effectively making a “unified” Korea into a de facto vassal state of the PRC. And don’t even think about using tactical nukes, because then we could expect Los Angeles and San Francisco to be incinerated in retaliation. We can try to ship an Armored Cavalry Regiment or two from the States to defend South Korea, but they’d never get there in time. We’d have to use the entire Marine Corps to establish a beachhead, followed by an armored campaign lasting weeks, or months even, to retake South Korea. Even if we do that, the PRC would just lob a few more Group Armies at us and slaughter our forces. The PRC government knows this. You can bet the Taiwanese and South Koreans will fight like hell, but they’ll lose just the same.”

After thinking, the President of the United States of America spoke. “I will not tolerate a war of aggression. Not in this day and age. We must succeed, Admiral.” The Admiral swallowed, looked the angry president in the eyes, and said coldly, “We cannot win this one, sir. We just can’t.”

Beijing, People’s Republic of China 1000, October 17th, 2009

The premier of the PRC carefully read the documents before him. It was, as the Americans would say, a ‘no-brainer’. His country desperately needed an economic boost, and the opportunity to achieve this had presented itself. The modern industries of South Korea, combined with the Oil reserves of the Spratly Islands controlled by nationalist Taiwan, would be a godsend. It was, in the premier’s eyes, a simple matter of taking what his country needed, and thus deserved. He signed a document, signifying that in 96 hours, Operation Sun Tzu would commence.

China’s best divisions, and with them her best generals, would fall upon her enemies like a tidal wave. A tidal wave made up of tanks, artillery fire, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers. The Chinese premier knew this, and had also read Sun Tzu’s Art of War. It is time that China takes her place in the world, forming an empire to make the Soviet Union before her look like pathetic.

Various locales Same day

Most US military reservists and National Guardsmen received phone calls informing them that their units had been activated, and were henceforth on alert for deployment. They informed their families, who reacted with shock, anger, sadness, horror, and even quite understanding. People with civilian jobs reported to local armories and bases, attired themselves in Army Combat Uniforms, and drew weapons and equipment.

All US registered merchant vessels were federalized by executive order, as were all wide-body cargo aircraft. These normally civilian craft were ordered immediately to report to various military bases, as contingency plans were activated.

The aircraft carriers of the US Navy currently in port were given orders to make ready to sail with all due haste, while the ones at sea not involved with Operation Good Samaritan were given new orders.

If World War III were to take place, American would not be late to the party. The mighty lion was awakening from its slumber, and would face her enemies with all the wrath and rage she could muster. Forces around the world went to DEFCON-3, and the Pentagon went crazy organizing everything.

Finally, a join session of congress was requested by the president, and was scheduled promptly. The more informed members of congress had a pretty good idea of what the President wanted, and most of them agreed with his as yet unstated withes.

 

[GovernorGeneral]

Chapter 7
Ft. Hood, Texas
0900, October 18th, 2009

Home of the 1st Cavalry Division and of the 4th Infantry Division (mechanized), Ft. Hood, Texas was an important base of the active duty US Army. Its two divisions, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit currently stationed on Okinawa, were designated by the contingency plan currently being activated as the vanguard of the taskforce to be shipped to South Korea. The 1st Cav and the 4th Infantry were ordered to embark on flatbed trucks, to be conveyed to a Navy base in California. The interstate highways necessary for this were cleared of civilian traffic by local National Guard units. Military police attempted to redirect the displaced civilian traffic onto alternative routes, but enormous traffic snarls sprouted up all the same.

Various locales
Same time

The 1st and 3rd Infantry Divisions, based at Ft. Riley, Kansas, and Ft. Stewart, Georgia, respectively, were given similar orders. They too loaded their vehicles onto trucks, as well as cross-country freight trains. In Hawaii, the 25th Infantry Division busied itself loading vehicles onto ro/ro ships, short for roll-on, roll-off. Only two of its Brigades could be loaded, however, as the third was based in Alaska. In addition, the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and her escorts were gearing up to deploy to Sea of Japan. No one thought the Chinese Navy had any submarines anywhere near Hawaii, but a squadron of P-3 Orion anti-submarine warfare aircraft were “sanitizing” the intended path of the Vinson group by dropping hundreds of sono-buoys. These devices listened for man-made sounds generated by submarines, and could automatically report by radio to patrol aircraft. The US Navy did not want the have one of its precious carriers sunk by “enemy” forces due to carelessness.

White House, Washington, D.C.
Same day

The President was making sure he understood everything. “Okay, so we have a total of 5 active duty army divisions deploying right now, along with a Marine Expeditionary Unit. Based in South Korea currently we have the 2nd Infantry Division, backed up by an Air Force tactical fighter wing. The South Koreans have a few infantry divisions along the border, and are calling up their reserves. That will take some time, longer than it’ll take us, right? The good guys won’t be able to hold against a Chinese Type A Group Army, even with the decades old minefield between the two groups. What, exactly, gentlemen, can we do about this?”

The three-star US Army general in overall command of forces being sent to South Korea spoke up. “Mr. President, our forces, even backed up by the South Koreans, can’t hold out for more than a few days, unless you want them to fight to the last man, in which case they’ll last a week or so. I hate to say this, sir, but our best bet is to evacuate all of our forces, probably to Japan, if they cooperate, which they most likely will. The Chinese-North Korean forces will conquer our ally in a week or so, depending on how fiercely each side fights. The Marine Expeditionary Unit based at Okinawa, along with the one with the Vinson group, can establish a small beachhead, provided they are backed up by two or three carriers, as well as Air Force birds that we can station in Japan. Once we have the beachhead, we land two corps sized forces, each made up of three divisions. This will be when things get difficult, sir. Assuming the Chinese only commit one Type A Group Army, our forces will be roughly equal in number, meaning we would in theory win due to better equipment and operational doctrine. More likely, sir, we can expect twice the number of enemy forces, to compensate for whatever loses they take in the conquest of South Korea.”

The President then asked the obvious question. “What then, General? We push inland, hammering the opposition with air strikes, trying to sever their supply lines? I know for a fact that the Chinese would just throw more divisions at us, and would eventually win the war of attrition. Is there some way we can level the playing field somewhat?”

“Okay, sir, I was hoping you’d ask that. The Air Force has some new toys they think would be perfectly suited to this, but they are still technically in the experimental phase. I’ve seen a demonstration, and they sure look like they’d make a big difference. I’m talking about the Fuse Breaker Program, sir. My recommendation would be to incorporate this option into our order of battle. When you consider how much the Soviet doctrine, which the Chinese copied, relies upon centralized control, it makes a lot of sense.” He pauses, took a deep breath, and continued. “Even so, it won’t be easy. We are going to have to deploy some National Guard units in the second wave. While our merchant vessels are returning to the states and then transporting the Guard units across the Pacific, the six active duty divisions are going to have a hard time taking and then holding some ground beyond the beach. Even with just those six divisions, it’s going to be hell keeping our supply lines running. Again, I hate to say it, but I think we need to consider something else. I am proposing that we ship the first six active duty divisions to Japan, and then send across the Guard and Reserve Units. With ten to fifteen divisions, which make up the bulk of our deployable forces, we can take on and defeat at least two Type A Group Armies. It will take time for us to get everything ready, but this option is a far better idea than haphazardly throwing units into the fray as quickly as possible. We can’t hold South Korea, so there’s no point in trying to retake it as quickly as possible. We might as well carefully build up our forces in Japan, and then strike when we are ready. Whatever we do, assuming we fight for our allies, there’s no avoiding WWIII. May I suggest, Mr. President, that you use diplomatic measures to stop this fiasco before it starts?”

The President of the United States of America was now truly realizing the gravity of the situation, a situation that cause a conflict between several desires and responsibilities. We can’t allow our allies to stand alone, but if we support them, it causes WWIII. I can’t decide this one on my own… It would just be wrong, and a gross violation of my duties. Heck, I don’t even know if I want to decide this myself. All I can do is position our forces in theater, get them ready for a major war, and ask the people of America, and Congress, what we will do.

Formosa Straight, international waters
0400, October 20th, 2009

The young sonar officer aboard the USS Rueben James, an ASW frigate of the US Navy escorting the Nimitz strike group, nearly panicked when he heard it in his headphones. A submarine! Less than 800 yards! Wait a minute… she’s snorkeling her diesels- she knows we know she’s there. Gotta be a PRC diesel boat who’s been running on batteries, waiting for us. “Sir, I have a sonar contant, designate Sierra-One, bearing one-two-zero, range 800, classification: PRC diesel-electric attack submarine.”

The sonar officer’s superior, the executive officer of the Rueben James, reacted instantly. “Sound General Quarters now!” he yelled to the boson’s mate, and then continued his frantic orders. “Weapons, get me a firing solution on Sierra-One now! Communications, get Nimitz on the horn, and try to whistle up some Vikings ASAP.”

The USN frigate was roughly fifteen nautical miles from the carrier she was supposed to be protecting, and Sierra-One was just under that distance from the carrier. Something had clearly gone wrong. The sonar officer spoke up again. “Sir, Sierra-One just revved her engines, and her screw’s making revolutions for twenty knots. Wait… hang on. I lost the contact. Repeat, contact is lost. Damn! She cut her engines and is now running on batteries.” The executive officer knew what he had to do. “Navigation, bring us about to face Sierra-One’s last know position, and then accelerate to flank speed. Weapons, arm the ASROC launcher, but keep you fingers off the trigger, for God’s sake!” A roar could be heard overhead as the Rueben James’s helicopter took off, laden with sono-buoys and torpedoes.

Then, the captain ran into the Combat Information Center and asked what the hell was going on. For the next half hour, many of the battle group’s ASW aircraft searched for Sierra-One, and all there was to show for it was what one sonar operator on a helicopter thought he heard in his headphones. The group ASW commander was getting frustrated, and he decided upon a new strategy. “All units, Yankee-search! Repeat, Yankee-search for the sucker.” Yankee-search was navy slang for using active sonar, a technique that flooded the ocean around the emitter with loud noise. The strategy was risky, because it gave whoever was listening a perfect position fix on any ship or submarine that blasted active sonar. On the other hand, it meant that having quiet battery-powered propellers was irrelevant: sound could bounce off anything made of metal, including Sierra-One. The same sonar officer on Rueben James found the sub again.

“Sir, I have acquired a new contact, designate Sierra-Two, bearing three-three-zero, range 6,000, classification: PRC diesel-electric attack submarine. I think we found Sierra-One again, sir.” No one could be certain, however, so the contact was given a new name. Either way, an attack submarine was awfully close to the Nimitz. A Viking ASW aircraft swooped down to barely 400 feet above the ocean and released four noisemakers. These plunged into the water, and sank to the estimated depth of the prowling sub. Then, they blasted sonar waves, which were heard by the sub’s sonar operators as painful noise in their headphones. Sierra-Two (which was, in fact, Sierra-One) knew beyond a doubt that she could be obliterated just as easily as they had been “pinged”.

The captain of the Chinese attack submarine, however, was pleased. The exercise had been a success. If he had not intentionally snorkeled his diesels, the Americans would have never known he was there. A particularly bold and audacious test of China’s ability to penetrate a US Navy carrier’s escort screen had been a success.

People’s Liberation Army Navy East Sea Fleet base, Fujian
0500, October 20th, 2009


Eighteen vessels of the People’s Liberation Army Navy gracefully left their docks, steamed out of the harbor, and formed up in an extended attack formation. The group, centered on the Luda class destroyer Nanjing, was composed of four destroyers, ten frigates, and four fleet underway replenishment vessels. All together, the group was armed with over one hundred anti-ship missiles and nearly as many surface-to-air missiles for air defense. In the middle of the ocean, and pitted against a US Navy carrier group, the collection of Chinese ships would have been sitting ducks, as they had limited reconnaissance capabilities over the horizon apart from vulnerable helicopters, and could not engage targets effectively at ranges much greater than one hundred miles. A US Navy carrier group had none of these restrictions.

Close to the shore, with friendly land-based fighter-bombers and interceptors to call upon, however, the Chinese ships could become an effective offensive weapon. Throw in a handful of friendly attack submarines that passive sonar could barely make out, and things could get rather dicey for the Nimitz group really fast.

China Sea, 1,000 miles offshore
0814, October 20th, 2009

The Chicago was running at a depth of 550 feet, at roughly 11 knots, following the Xia at a distance of 2 miles. The crew of this particular American submarine was excited, as they were following a submarine known to be carrying nuclear tipped ballistic missiles. It was even more exciting that the submarine belonged to a nation that was not exactly exchanging Christmas cards with the USA.

“Uh, sir, I think you might want to look at this.” The navigation officer had just noticed something interesting about the Xia’s recent course change. “Okay, we’re here, right? Xia’s here, a little under 2 miles from us.” He adjusted the view so the grid became larger than 5 by 5 miles. “He’s on a straight line to Pearl Harbor.” The commanding officer of the USS Chicago was at first surprised, and then grew concerned. He latest intelligence brief from SUBPAC had warned about possible irregular PRC Navy maneuvers. Again, he decided to break off contact with his prey. He needed to report this.

Naval Base Kitsap, Washington, USA Same time

The Nimitz class carriers USS John C. Stennis and USS George Washington were currently sitting alongside rather large docks, and were swarming with crewmen racing to ready the behemoths for rapid deployment. Their air wings were busy training at a nearby naval air station, making sure everyone was checked out to do his or her assigned job. Each vessel, including the air wing personnel, required a crew of nearly six thousand. Thus, the two carriers, with their escorts, had nearly fifteen thousand crewmembers. As it were, the escorts were also busy preparing for deployment. Weapons, supplies, computer systems, and food stocks were being checked and/ or loaded. Normally, it would take a month or so to deploy a carrier group. The current plan was to deploy two in less than a forth the time. There were drills and plans for this sort of thing, but it was still going to be a major achievement, assuming it worked.

Capitol Building, Washington D.C., USA
0900, October 21st, 2009

The Representatives and Senators finished filing into their seats, media crews finished getting their equipment set up, and the secret service detail confirmed, again, that there were no apparent threats to the president. When the President strode down the center aisle, he was met with thunderous applause. Obviously, not every elected official present agreed with his decisions over the past few weeks. However, the public opinion of the United States seemed to support humanitarian assistance to the people of Darfur, even though it seemed to be causing an even bigger war. It didn’t make sense, really. America had always been, culturally speaking, an isolationist nation. It seemed, though, that this traditional aspect of American politics was being pushed aside by basic human compassion. At any rate, a decision needed to be taken. A decision that everyone knew was needed, but did not want to talk about. Would the United States of America go to war in the defense of innocent people? Not a small war that was largely being fought from the skies by US combat aircraft that were virtually unopposed. A real, live World War against the only other military super power: the People’s Republic of China.

Clearly, the PRC and the USA were each other’s largest trading partners. So too, were Germany and France before September 1st, 1939. The current situation was similar to pre-WWII Europe in other ways. Including the fact that like Germany was, the PRC was ruled by people with little or no regard for innocent human life, including their own countrymen.

A difference, of course, was that the USA was seriously considering, before hostilities commenced, the proposition of getting involved militarily. Unlike his Chinese counterparts, however, the US leader decided to consult his fellow countrymen and government officials before than blindly running off to a real war. That was, of course, the reason for the special joint session of Congress. Senator Samuel Summer had managed to secure the privilege of making the opening remarks, using up several favors in the process. He stepped up to the lectern, and began his carefully prepared speech.

“We face before us a new age; an age marked by aggression, and possibly millions of needless deaths. I will not sugar coat the issue. Allies of the United States of America face conquest and annihilation. That we will stand by their side to defend them should be non-negotiable. If, for the sake of argument, we let events play out, then maybe the situation will stabilize sooner than if we intervene. The cost, however, would include the loss of freedom for millions, and the failure of democracy in countries that have proudly upheld such governments by choice for decades. If, on the other hand, the United States of America chooses to fight for the freedom of others, a massive war may ensue. A war that could rival the one our fathers and grandfathers fought more than fifty years ago. The United States of America has not been directly attacked. Our friends, our allies, and what we as a nation stand for are threatened. This threat is in the form of a possible attack by the military forces of the People’s Republic of China into the peaceful nations of South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan.

“I fear that we have no choice, if we are to retain our honor as a free nation, but to stand firmly by our friends, and all innocent people, who face attack by an aggressive third party. It is my sincere hope that you all remember what this nation has stood for, has fought for, and has sacrificed its people for over its history. Now is not the time to back away from our moral obligations to the free world.”

The tone of Senator Summer’s remarks told those who heard them that something ominous was about to happen. The president rose, quietly walked to the podium, and spoke to the nation’s legislators.

“I would like to propose a bill.” In and of itself, such a statement made by the president was unusual, in that it was the custom for a member of congress to propose a bill, to be supported by the president. By proposing a bill personally, the president could make a much more powerful point.

“This bill has been drafted carefully, so that nothing important is left out, and nothing extraneous is sneaked in.” That was one of the president’s trademarks: he never signed any bill that was primarily about one issue, but had some quasi-secret clause inserted about something else. For example, he had supported a bill that would create a universal healthcare program for all US citizens up until it was discovered that one section of it would repeal various laws dealing with gun control, tax exemptions, and school funding.

“This bill would authorize the use of military force to defend any nation attacked in any way by the military forces of the People’s Republic of China over a period of eighteen months, beginning when the bill is singed into law. If this body of legislators does not approve the bill within twenty-four hours from now, I will withdraw all US military personnel from those nations threatened by the PRC military, and allow those same nations to be overrun and conquered. It is not my responsibility, nor is it within my constitutional powers, in my view, to decide upon this matter. Such responsibility and power lies within the legislative branch.” In closing, the president said only, “whichever way you chose to vote, know that you will be influencing the course of history in a great way.”

Formosa Straight, international waters
Four hours before presidential deadline to approve force bill

The USS Rueben James was cruising at twenty knots when her lookouts saw four jets of fire rise into the sky maybe ten miles from them. Her radar operators tracked the anti-ship missiles, and quickly realized their target. Frantically, the SAM launcher was armed, and several SM-2 Standard missiles were volleyed off, but they were not able to intercept the Chinese missiles.

Fifteen miles away from the Rueben James, twenty-five miles from where a Chinese submarine had launched her anti-ship missiles, lay the USS Nimitz herself. The CIWS (close-in-weapon-system) 20mm automatic anti-aircraft guns opened up, filling the air between Nimitz and her super-sonic attackers with metal. Four out of six targets were hit. The remaining two punched through Nimitz’s hull, and then exploded, ripping bulkheads to shreds, detonating stored ammunition and igniting aviation fuel. Within seconds, the US Navy task force’s flagship was lit up like a Christmas tree. The furiously burning ship quickly took on water in her hangar decks, and began riding lower and lower in the water. Captain Flannigan, as the most senior captain of the assorted escort ships, became the de facto task force commander. As the commanding officer of an Aegis equipped air defense warship, he was trained to worry about air threats. He gave the order for all ships to illuminate their search radars, and then gave permission to engage anything that looked hostile. Within minutes of giving the order, Captain Flannigan looked in horror at the radar display before him. More than one hundred aircraft, all supersonic, were bearing down on his new command.

“All ships, all ships, turn towards Taiwanese national waters and go to flank speed now!” Ships cannot outrun aircraft, let alone missiles, but the American captain was hoping friendly Taiwanese fighters would assist him. As the PRC aircraft began firing volley after volley of missiles, the American warships automatically returned fire under the guidance of computer systems.

The number of Chinese missiles fired at the US warships was less than the number of available US anti-missile missiles. The problem was, in the time it took the Chinese pilots to launch more than two hundred and fifty missiles, the US warships could only launch fifty or so. With the carrier in flames and sinking fast, all the US fighters in the air had to get to Taiwanese airfields to land, leaving no air cover at all. The Aegis missile system was designed to be one of several line of air defense; it was not expected to be able to win a large air battle on its own. A good eighty Chinese missiles were “splashed” by the American defenses, but the remainder survived. Until, that is, they smashed into the US warships. Every ship took a hit. Every ship except one took multiple hits. For every ship except the Rueben James damage control was hopeless, and what survivors there were abandoned their ships.

The lone survivor, Rueben James continued at flank speed into Taiwanese waters, her crew working furiously to fix the gapping hole in her side.

The White House, Washington D.C., USA
Five minutes after attack on Nimitz group

The president was not at all happy. “Damn it! Pearl Harbor all over again! What the hell do we do now?”

Admiral Scott Mulligan began to suggest surging all the carriers in a bid to establish a defensive line between China and Japan, but was cut off by the Secretary of State, who ran into the room and said, “Mr. President, The Chinese Ambassador has just informed me that his government has made a formal declaration of war upon the United States of America.” In Response, the President could only muster, “No, really?” He turned back to Admiral Mulligan. “Look, I don’t want to throw our carriers into the fray like that. We’re going to use Stennis and Washington to escort the 1st Cavalry and 4th Infantry divisions to Okinawa, where they can link up with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. The Vinson group will escort the 25th Infantry division to a staging area in Japan. Once we get enough civilian ships together, I want to get the 1st and 3rd Infantry division over to Japan also.”

The issue was, the 2nd Infantry division was stationed in South Korea, and no ships were nearby in great enough numbers to evacuate all personnel and equipment.

An Air Force general spoke up, suggesting the obvious. “We need to transfer all of our B-2 stealth bombers to Okinawa, where they can threaten strategic targets in China. Also, I want to move an F-22 Raptor stealth fighter wing to Okinawa for base defense. We’ll need to beef up the mid-air refueling units to support all that, as well as deploy a few more E-3 sentry AWACS.” The p

resident’s reply was terse. “Do it. Oh, by the way, if our pilots think something’s hostile, they have my express permission to engage it. Our pilots do not need visual identification of targets, only reasonable suspicion. Is that clear?”

“Yes sir.” In fact, the General had been about to request such rules of engagement himself. The c

ommander of the pacific fleet decided it was his turn next. “Mr. President? About the Xia…” He was cut off abruptly. “Take her out. Now. She is not launching nuclear missiles at Hawaii.”

Middle of the western Pacific Ocean, depth: 550 ft
Three minutes later

USS Chicago received a single word over an encrypted channel: AVALANCHE. Her commanding officer obviously knew what course of action that ordered. He did not know the Nimitz group had been obliterated. He did not know his nation was at war with China. He did know that he had an order to execute, and one that made perfect sense to him. “Do we have a firing solution on the Xia? Ok. Assign torpedoes one through four to her. Flood tubes one and two, and open the outer doors.”

Chicago’s crew was somewhat confused by the order, but they methodically carried it out flawlessly. “Fire one. Fire two.”

Compressed air pushed the two massive MK 48 ADCAP torpedoes out of their tubes, and the turbines kicked in, accelerating them to nearly fifty knots. Chicago’s sonar operator reported that the two weapons were functioning correctly, and that both had acquired and locked on to the target.

The American captain continued his attack, “Flood tubes three and four, and open the outer doors. Reload tubes one and two with MK 48 ADCAPs.” When tubes three and four were ready, he said, calmly, “Fire three. Fire four.” Each of the four torpedoes bored in on the unsuspecting Chinese ballistic missile submarine. Thirty seconds before the estimated time to target for torpedo one, the Chinese submarine picked up her unmanned attackers on passive sonar. She accelerated to flank speed and flooded her ballast tanks, trying to escape. Even if she had been a state of the art attack submarine, as opposed to a nearly obsolete ballistic missile submarine, she could not have out maneuvered all four MK 48 ADCAPS at such close range.

The first six hundred and fifty pound warhead detonated against the Xia’s hull with a massive thunderclap. Already, the Chinese submarine was mortally wounded. Several of her compartments were flooded, and she began to tip over on her side. The second torpedo hit, ripping a large gash through the steal hull. Xia plummeted like a stone, quickly passing through 700 feet. Twenty seconds later, the third torpedo struck, severing what was left of the Xia in two. No one was still alive on board. Still, Chicago’s last torpedo dove at its target, active sonar pinging away madly. Faced with two targets now, it selected the larger one, and reduced it to scrap.

 

[GovernorGeneral]

I only ever completed those seven chapters, with half of the eighth chapter finished.

Author's Epilogue

In this imaginary world, I like to think that after a short but unfortunately harsh war, the PRC's economy collapses, leading to a reformist government taking power in Beijing. The military dictatorship in Sundan falls, and Iran ultimately surrenders to the United States and the UN.

At something called the Kiev Conference, the world formally agrees to a binding treaty committing itself to militarily enforcing a ban on mass atrocities and genocide. Due to magical butterflies, President Putin is tragically killed in an automobile accident in 2005, ultimately leading to a reformist government taking power in Moscow.

Israel's role in the Darfur peacekeeping mission leads the world to look more closely at its corner of the world, and the Israeli people think more carefully about their policies regarding Palestine. In 2007 the Israeli Knesset and the Palestinian Authority Parliament issue a joint declaration of peaceful coexistence and mutual recognition of each others' territorial integrity based on internationally recognized boundaries.

When the Arab Spring begins in the early 2010s, NATO quickly sides with the pro-west, pro-democracy rebel factions in each country. Assad of Syria is killed by a smart bomb under the Darfur Doctrine when he uses chemical weapons on civilians.

The United States threatens to withdraw counter-terrorism and arms support to Saudi Arabia unless it pursues human rights reforms. A global threat of sanctions makes this work successfully.