//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 // Story: CTF Haymaker // by totallynotabrony //------------------------------// Candless met with Colonel Spitfire to discuss more details of her world. He just didn't have the depth of experience to judge the dragons. But first, he gave her an update on the battle of the day before and the effects going forward. "We've gotten the kidnapped minotaurs back to their homes. Once they were freed, they insisted on walking all night. King Coal wanted me to extend thanks to all CTF members for finding them. Also, on his orders, we've caved in the gem mine." Spitfire nodded. "There may be others, though. The dragons have their own sources, but this whole area is rich in minerals." "They don't have any mechanical or otherwise methods of mining besides manual labor?" Candless asked. "Dragons don't have much in the way of any kind of infrastructure. That's why bringing in bombers probably won't be useful." She'd overhead his conversation with PACOM to coordinate strike assets. There were a handful of B-1's in Guam that could support, not to mention Tomahawk missiles aboard O'Kane, but Spitfire was right: those weren't really useful against moving targets. Candless looked to his assistant, who handed over his daily schedule. Captain Lombard wanted to meet with him in person, but he still had a few minutes left before boarding the helo. He turned back to Spitfire. "I'm going to recommend Captain Sentry for a Silver Star." Spitfire nodded. "What about your Major?" "By all accounts, he died bravely," said Candless quietly. "However, not to speak ill of the dead, but he was in command and failed to resolve the situation peacefully. We might say he started a war. Someone, I'm sure, will." Candless paused. "Be that as it may, I'm going to put him in for a Silver Star, too." He turned to go, but Spitfire called him back. "I think you're right. I'm not saying we didn't do it for the right reasons, but we might have started a war." "I suppose that's up to the dragons." Candless headed for the helo, which was waiting for him. It was a short flight to Makin Island. He saw Lombard waiting for him on the flight deck as the Huey came in for a hover. As the helicopter landed and began to wind down, Candless opened the door and ducked under the blades, walking towards the ship's island. On the way, he passed a Harrier and stopped short, staring at the two-inch silhouette of a dragon freshly painted on the side. "Like it, sir?" a young Marine mechanic asked, grinning as he walked over. Candless stared at him. "Take it off. This is a humanitarian mission." "But-" The kid wilted under Candless' look. "Yes sir." Candless continued walking, meeting with Lombard just outside the door to the interior of the ship. She carried a document bag with a lock on its zipper. "If your bird's still spinning, can we go for a ride?" she asked. "The meeting's actually taking place over on Wally Schirra." Confused, Candless shrugged. "Alright." They went back to the Huey and Candless relayed the instruction to the pilot. It was only a half mile or so to where the Navy cargo ship Schirra was anchored off the coast. While being for a completely different purpose, it was almost as big as Makin Island. Some of the heavy-lift MH-53's had already transferred some supplies to shore. The Huey touched down on the aft deck. A man in civilian clothes was waiting for them and escorted Lombard and Candless into the ship. He shook hands with both. "I'm Brian Alux. Please come with me." Still confused, Candless followed him, down several levels and into the ship's storage areas. They started passing men with weapons and body armor, black, without markings. The three of them entered a larger compartment. Half a dozen armed Marines - not part of Candless's unit - were there. There were also two large, wooden crates that measured perhaps a dozen feet long by a few feet in the other dimensions. "Do you have the paperwork?" Alux asked. Lombard nodded, and began to open the bag she carried. "Who are you with?" Candless finally asked. "The Department of Energy," Alux said. Candless sized up the security group again, a few details coming into focus. "Oh." Lombard handed him a clipboard, containing two pages and a pen. The bottom page was a nondisclosure agreement. The top one was an order. TOP SECRET Colonel Roger Candless, Commanding Officer, 11MEU, You are hereby authorized need to know of special weapons deployment in alternate world areas. Specific briefing and special access program read in to be carried out on site. As authorized by US Secretary of Defense. TOP SECRET Candless reluctantly signed the NDA. Lombard took the clipboard back. Alux gestured to one of the other men standing around, who lifted the top of one of the crates. Inside was a green metal box almost as large as the crate itself, with yellow stenciled letters that read B61 and a serial number. Candless was an infantryman, but he imagined the aerial weapon inside was a silvery and dart-shaped. "This is insane," said Candless. "I agree," said Lombard, "but if we're going to have a war, you should know everything available." And, he couldn't argue with an order from SECDEF. Alux walked him through a few particulars that Candless forced himself to pay attention to. He couldn't imagine a situation in which he would order a Harrier to drop a nuclear weapon on the dragons, and prayed that he would never come up with one. The flight back was quiet. No one asked him what the meeting had been about, for which Candless was grateful. He wouldn't have told them, of course, but he'd rather not think about it himself. The US was still a little nervous about the magical and powerful creatures on the other side of the rift, so Candless could maybe understand nuclear weapons for "just in case" sake, but this was the first time he had ever personally been involved. Now, he really hoped the dragons wouldn't have a war.