• Published 11th Jul 2014
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Nearing the Edge - Eagle



Equestria's arrival on Earth threatens to send two superpowers into another World War.

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Flashpoints

May 8th, 2006
1000 Hours
Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. had been a bit dimmer as of late, dimmer and busier. This was all the result of the war, a far-off conflict that nonetheless provoked large, hard-felt effects. It was similar across the entire country, the feeling of a nation, of its people, gearing itself towards titanic martial conflict.

Recruitment had spiked, a hopeful sign showing the populace was largely behind the war and willing to bear its burdens, but a draft was implemented all the same. It caused some minor dissent, but this was padded by ensuring it was less stereotypically selective than in the past. Power, social standing, and career, or local thereof in other instances, did far less to exempt people from duty. Those who were capable of joining and helping would have no excuse to abandon their countrymen at the front.

Indeed, some people working jobs of a higher, more vital level had a greater chance of being called up at times, depending on availability. Some nuclear-trained personnel were selected and sent to the Navy to work on the nuclear powered warships. The selection of people, who, where, and how many, had to be carefully handled in many parts. It was ensured that the most vital elements to ensure society’s function, from police to doctors to farmers, maintained adequate numbers to perform their own duties on the homefront, but any excess was quickly drained off.

The only bit of exception falling to those necessary, which inevitably included the rich and higher politicians. These however were still not safe, as the ‘necessary businesses’ were redirected to more vital productions. Their immediate family was also not entirely safe from recruitment. Some had the option of escaping it by making an exceptionally sizable donation to the military through war bonds or to the common families that struggled with their sons having left. This choice by one of the wealthier men financed the construction of an entirely new Arleigh Burke destroyer on his payment alone. Another, doing so partly of an old sense of duty, gave enough to thoroughly equip a sizable portion of one of the forming National Guard divisions, with the added point that it be given to the unit forming in his home state.

The entire situation on paper gave off a darker picture than what reality was. The country and its people were certainly feeling the effects of the war, and it was quite noticeable, but despite all this it had yet to transform completely. Society had not evolved past the current form totally to one of pure war, with a people gripped solely by this great battle, only retaining basic needs as it rationed and overproduced itself for the war effort, with so many in harm’s way and the others dedicated to support. America itself, thankfully, was still in a relatively peaceful and normal, though greatly altered, state. However, the possibility of falling into such a one-track style was far more prevalent with today’s recent disasters.

Most within the government and military had been constantly at work since the war began. President James has made briefings solely on the war a daily matter, but these ‘emergency briefings’ were becoming uncomfortably common. The stress of the entire situation, waiting for news day to night and feeling his stomach twist when the phone rang, was taking its toll. Now he was in another meeting that was about to begin, surrounded by the Chiefs and various other military and government officials whose presence was required, chugging coffee to rouse himself.

“So what’ve we got now? What are these problems you were telling me we had?”

“The moves the Chinese and their friends are making on a global level.”

“I figured they had bigger plans. Alright let’s hear it, did they go with anything we predicted? What’s their doctrine look like?”

“It’s the Flashpoint Doctrine, Sir,” the Navy Chief, Admiral Lahure, told him. “Looks to be a modified version of the kind we theorized before. It seems the Chinese are going with it.”

One of the many possibilities for China’s grand overall battle plan, the Flashpoint Doctrine entailed expanding the current conflict into a true world war. Rather than attempt to fight all of America’s forces on one front in the Pacific and in Arcaia, they would, via proxy conflict, force the United States to spread its forces out across the globe in order to cover various key parts needed to ensure victory. This would ensure their forces would be drawn out and strained, or risk losing important locations and resources to them.

“So they’re planning to divide our forces after all, huh?” the President mulled. “Well, we had this contingency on the table. Give me the detailed rundown. Start with our backyard in Central and South America and work West to East. Where are the carriers? They’re on the move, still safe?”

“Yes Sir, they’re safe as far as we know. We can go over their positions as we move through the regions.”

“Let’s get to it then,” President James said, taking a drink from his cup.

“Well, as always the biggest issue in Central America is Cuba. They're the closest and with the supplies China’s given they’re a real threat to the Continental US. Florida is in danger now.”

“Have they made any aggressive moves yet?”

“A few US maritime patrol aircraft had some warning shots fired at them but no hits. Any American aircraft that flies within a few miles of Cuba, military or civilian, is getting locked and tracked by SAMs if they’re in range. The Cuban Navy’s been making shifty moves towards the coast, same with their Air Force. The whole state’s under alert and the Keys are on lockdown. There’s a real fear of them bombarding targets like the Keys and Miami with land-launched cruise missiles,” the Joint Chiefs Chairman, and Army general, explained. “Currently the USAF Air National Guard are holding things down in the area but we’re shifting forces. The George H. W. Bush is going to transfer there soon from her trial grounds in the Atlantic; we want to keep her close to home since she just finished outfitting and commissioning.”

“Alright… any ground forces we can use if needed?”

“The Corps’ reserve is getting the Fourth Division assembled in New Orleans. The Army National Guard’s Thirty-First Division is already deploying to defend southern Florida, so they’re the most immediate units I’d use if you want to take the offensive,” the Army’s General Taggert answered.

“Good, good. What about Guantanamo?”

“Hasn’t been attacked yet but it’s been blockaded all around. There’s very little chance we can hold it should full hostilities break out.”

In regards to Cuba, everyone realized Guantanamo Bay would be the most immediate issue to deal with. Beyond its use as a detention black site, it was virtually cut off from the rest of the armed forces and surrounded by potential hostiles. The three strategic options available to them were to be evacuated, attempt to stand their ground, or be reinforced in hopes of using it as an existing foothold to attack Cuba. Only the first of these made any reasonable sense; there were too few men there to withstand a full direct assault nor enough supplies for a prolonged siege, and it was too small to act as a sizable jumpoff point for a large-scale ground war.

“Then our first order of business for the carrier group is to evacuate all prisoners and key personnel, have them get through the blockade even if they have to ram through any boats. Make sure they’re escorted all the way but no firing unless fired upon. Strict rule on that, got it?” James ordered clearly. “We need to drag this standoff out until we’re in a better position. Just get our guys out. And have the group stay in that area. When the shooting starts I want all the men still stationed there evaced as well, we’re not leaving them there. Understood?”

“Yes Sir, though that will put the H.W. in a poor counterattack position, away from our coast.”

“We’ll deal with Cuba when the time is right. For now we need to isolate them and get our people out. Evac all key personnel immediately, then the rest once conflict breaks out. Then transition back to the States, got it?”

“Got it, they’ll get it done,” the Admiral affirmed, jotting down the long string of detailed orders in a notebook for later.

“Sounds like it’s covered then. What’s next?” James asked.

“Nicaragua is-”

“Nicaragua?”

“Yes Sir, it’s only a moderate ally to Cuba, even less so to China. They don’t pose a major threat to the US itself or our military but they’ve turned into a major problem as of late,” Lahure spoke up. “U-2 overflights and radio intercept has indicated buildup and a shift of their forces south. We think they may join the war and launch an offensive through Costa Rica and into Panama.”

“They’re going after the Canal?”

“We think so since it would curtail our naval traffic and ocean trade in general, it would give them a significant power boost.”

“And then they are a real problem… Christ sake,” the President groaned.

“Right now we have the Constellation and her group in the Gulf. But considering Costa Rica doesn’t have a military and Panama’s isn’t a match, it probably won’t be enough.”

“I was talking with the Costa Rican ambassador earlier,” the Vice President spoke up. “They said that due to the clear aggressive actions of forces on their northern border, their country is willing to accept a US division to stay there. One division, and no combat aircraft in the airports or ships in the seaports. And the division must leave as soon as the threat has passed.”

“Taggert?” the President turned to the Army’s Chief.

“Ah… huh… well I think I can get the Sixth together and there in good order. Just one unit but it’s a regular one, frontline. Well trained and fully equipped with armor, artillery, choppers, fully mechanized. It’d perform better than a Guard division.”

“Good, go with that. What’s next on the list?” he asked the Chairman.

“Venezuela.”

“Figures.”

“Like Nicaragua they’re not as close to China as others but-“

“But they’ve been friends with Cuba for years now.”

“Yes Sir. Radio’s been picking up a lot of traffic between them and Cuba. They’re probably coordinating as well, same as Nicaragua and Cuba.”

“I’m seeing a pattern here. Everything is revolving around that island.”

“For Central America, but Venezuela getting ready to fight is what’s rattling South America.”

“South America is turning into one of the most volatile places on the planet, James, the politics and dealing got played a little too hard. Now it’s a powder keg,” the Vice President cut in before allowing Admiral Lahure to conduct his assessment.

“Venezuela is cooperating with Cuba, and we’re predicting that their combined air and naval forces will try and take control of the waters between their two countries. The Forrestal battle group is moving into position in the middle, closer to Venezuela, to act as the wall between them. But there’s far bigger problems, because now all the neighbors are at each-other’s throats vying for regional power. Colombia and Venezuela have had border disputes in the past but now they’re looking to actually go at it. We’re not sure how Colombia will hold up, whether they’ll have to deal with FARC more isn’t known yet, but Brazil is supporting them thankfully. Either way they’ll need our help, and Forrestal will have to provide it.”

“Down south, Argentina’s causing problems, too,” the Air Force Chief added.

“We don’t have any issues with them. We’re not as close as we were and their influence has tipped a bit but they don’t like the Chinese,” said James before taking another drink from his mug.

“No Sir, but the Chinese seem to have played their hand in this regard. They’re not asking for any major alliance but they’re making noises about supporting Argentine territorial claims, two important ones in particular. The Falklands and the Tierra del Fuego.”

“Those little pieces of dirt and ice? They’re crazy enough to go to war over that? What’s that have to do with us?”

“Well if they try and take the Falklands, which it looks like they may, the British will move to take it back, same as last time. We’ll have to help them considering how much they’re helping us in Arcaia. What’s more worrying is Tierra del Fuego, that’s their main target,” the Chairman went on. “They’ll likely go to war with Chile; it looks like the 1984 treaty won’t hold up anymore. Argentina may go all-in and launch a full-scale invasion of the whole country to force it. It’s not our issue normally but the Chinese would support and possibly help them a little to achieve it. Problem is if they seize Tierra del Fuego, it gives them control over the Magellan Strait, and the single Chinese request is that they lock down any and all Allied sea traffic through the strait.”

“This is insane, we really don’t have a hand in a lot of these,” the President pointed out. “But they’re forcing us into it, they’re real devious with their promises.”

“Bolivia is saying openly they’d join in on any Argentine invasion, too. Invade from the north to claim a coastline. No pressure from our side or China, just a century-old animosity that’s kicked off. Brazil’s our biggest ally in the region, they’re not fans of China and have a vested interest in the status quo. They’ve stated they’ll go to war with Argentina in response and send their army into Bolivia as well. We can’t tell what any of the other countries will do, Paraguay, Peru, the like. But these few pushes are knocking the whole continent into the fire. There’s not much we can do to help one way or the other.”

“Nothing we can send?”

“The John F. Kennedy and her group are already in the South Atlantic, but all they’ll be able to do is support Brazil and will be on station to help the British in the Falklands. It’s not a full-strength CVBG, it’s got fewer ships due to them being sent to hotter areas, so less striking power.”

“God, it’s like the place is going to fall apart. We’ll have to focus on keeping our lanes open.”

“That’s all I’ve got for you for South America, Sir. You want to hear about Africa or Europe next?”

“Which one’s got worse news?”

“Africa.”

The group shifted over the large map, across the Atlantic to the lower half of the African continent. James chugged down the last of his drink, resting the mug down on the corner of the map before Lahure began with the naval regional assessment. The United States had virtually no existing presence in Africa compared to elsewhere, and with resources stretched thin and getting thinner any major action would be difficult to launch and complete there.

“Don’t bother with the local conflicts, you can leave all that to the UN and the Europeans in their old colonies. Just give the ones that involve us,” he ordered.

“Will do… well, there’s a handful of conflicts the Chinese have been sticking their heads in, but the most worrying one is in Angola. It looks like they’ve set up a naval base there. It’s small, and they don’t seem to have any major battlegroups there, but it’s sizable enough to act as a submarine base for Chinese or Bloc subs. We’re having a hard enough time protecting shipping in the Pacific, and any base there would give their subs free range through most of the Atlantic.”

“There’s also the danger of surface raiders,” Avery, a CIA analyst spoke up for the first time. “Sorry, but I thought I should add that. We’ve been seeing issues with Bloc surface raiders, mostly around Arcaia and it’s waters but in other areas of the Pacific. They’re spreading out, too. There seem to be a lot and vary in size; battleships, cruisers, frigates, destroyers. A surface raider in this area could cause serious damage to us, and to international shipping.”

“Thank you, Mister Avery,” Lahure replied.

“I get it, we can’t let that happen. I’m assuming that means Angola doesn’t like us either?” James assumed.

“They claim to be staying out of it, and don’t seem to be making any major moves, but I don’t think they’ll appreciate any combat operations on their soil. Still their military isn’t really exceptional in the conventional sense; they won’t be a large threat.”

“Any chance we can seize the base?”

“We can probably use some special forces to raid the base, but I’m not sure we can seize it. The Angolans don’t seem to want to fight but won’t likely accept us occupying a piece of their land. More importantly we can’t waste any more units for that task; they’ll be locked down there,” General Taggert answered.

“Best thing we can do is blockade it and use aircraft and spec ops to raid and strike it, and anywhere else the Chinese might pop up in Africa,” Lahure concluded. “Problem is we don’t have any spare carriers for the region. We had the Kennedy but she’s already been redirected.”

“Can we redirect another from a less-crowded region?”

“I suppose we could, it will be your call in the end. What do you want to do, Sir? Redirect the JFK or send another carrier?”

James drummed his fingers against his temple for a minute, trying to decide which would be best to send.

“Redirect the Constellation. Sorry but the Sixth in Costa Rica will have to make due. They can get their air support from Air Force flights from the mainland.”

“Will do, Sir,” Lahure acknowledged, writing another short note for later. “I’ll send the order to redirect them towards Africa.”

“Next is Europe,” the Chief Chairman moved on. “It’s the only place that’s got good news.”

James pulled his cup up to his face to take another sip before realizing it was empty.

“Damn it. Bill, could you fill this up again? Just from right over there, that pot on the table?” he asked, handing it over to the Marine Chief. “Thanks. So what’s the good news about Europe.”

“The good news is there’s not much happening, believe it or not. We figured the Russians would get in on the game, try to attack us there and open up another major front. That would’ve been a serious problem but it doesn’t seem like they’re trying to do that. There’s been some troop movements here and there but the massive buildup along the front isn’t happening.”

“It’s actually looking like they’re trying to do it through their own proxies,” the Marine Chief added, handing a full cup back to James. “There’s actually been some buildup of Belorussian and Ukranian troops along the Polish border. They might attack to try and distract us. But the Russians themselves? Not much. Might have some of their guys secretly mixed in them but without full massive commitment they won’t be able to drain off our forces. Any assaults can be dealt with by the rest of NATO and whatever units we’ve got left over there.”

“Their maritime activity’s about the same,” Lahure pointed out. “The Northern Fleet’s sortied out, been moving around the Norwegian Sea. The Royal Navy’s keeping some of it’s carriers there to keep an eye on them. Not much happening but we’ll have to keep an eye on it to make sure it stays that way.”

“Next on the map is the Middle East,” the Chairman said.

“That wonderful place,” General Taggert groaned.

“I’m sure it’s still as broken as it was when I was in the Gulf,” James commented. “I’m familiar enough with their local bickering, Lahure just give me the rundown of the naval forces there.”

Kitty Hawk’s BG is holding down the Mediterranean. Libya’s likely to make some moves around there, try to assert the Gulf of Sidra again and go after some nearby oil platforms, might try to mess with us since we’re worn out but it’s unlikely they’ll be able to hurt us. The French and Italians are more than happy to help considering how close they are and their carriers are already sailing nearby too, so that’ll be locked down. Syria will probably take this chance to go after Israel but we probably won’t have to worry since the Israelis can take care of themselves. We won’t get involved unless they’re in real trouble and threatening to nuke the whole region if they’re overrun or anything like that, but again that’s unlikely. If we do decide to jump in the Hawk will have to move up and pull double-duty.”

“Doesn’t seem like it concerns us too much,” the Vice President noticed.

“No Sir, but it’s the same as always. Some threats to maritime commerce and other trades but not really a direct problem. Thing is, Syria and especially Libya don’t like us. They can’t hurt us on a strategic level but if they think we’re weak enough or not paying attention they’ll try small-scale actions. Small bombings like back in the day, attacking local patrol aircraft, anything to pick at us a little more on a lower level.”

“Alright, just make sure the carrier’s ready to move if we need her more somewhere else,” James said, ready to move on to the primary part of the region.

“The Arabian Peninsula’s next. The Iranians and Saudis already hate each-other and are in a stalemate, but Iran’s always been one of China’s closer allies, and the Chinese are really whipping at them to invade. Hard to tell what the outcome of a cross-strait invasion would be but it would likely be bad. Even if it fails, the disruption it would cause to the oil as well the shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has the serious potential to cause a worldwide economic and energy crisis, so there’s plenty of agreement from most countries to keep them in check. The Truman is already in position in the Gulf. Other than that there are a few Air Force squadrons in Kuwait, and the army’s already moving three divisions there, including the 50th Armored Division.”

“And Iraq?” the President queried towards the CIA director. “You know if they’re planning anything?”

The Middle East, and Iraq in particular, had always been a worrying spot for James. It likely stemmed from his time in the Gulf War; having a personal experience with such things tended to focus one’s mind on them just as one better recognizes their home among other’s houses. Sitting at the crossroads of the world, in such a volatile area, it was difficult to not only predict but also truly, resoundingly deal with whatever happened there.

“No major movements yet, they might try something but they’re too scared after the Gulf War I think. They’re dealing with their internal issues, and the CIA says a Chinese attempt to get them to invade Kuwait and Saudia Arabia again was denied outright. They don’t like the Saudis but they hate the Iranians more,” the agency’s director spoke out. “We can’t say for sure what will happen, but as of now they’re sitting in place.”

“Good to see things are in shape there, at least. Guess we still have that area on lockdown since ‘91. We always kept a presence in the Gulf. But what are the odds of this exploding into something bigger? Like South America?”

“Very likely. But we can’t fully tell when, where, or how. The region’s somewhat unpredictable, and outside these areas we can’t spare anyone.”

James smoothed out the paper on his end, catching a glimpse of the time on his wrist watch. Almost forty minutes had passed since the briefing had begun. Time moved quickly when discussing defense doctrine and geopolitics, much too quickly. His holdover habits still plagued him, even at such a high level, every minute mattered. Every minute another soldier killed, another move made by the enemy, but someone at his high level could not command such minor things. They were moving faster than him, faster than he could keep up with, or anyone here could.

“The Indian Ocean is kind of a wild area. The only presence we have there is at Diego Garcia,” the Chairman continued on to the next area. “We’ve already got that base well manned, a fair number of fighter and bomber squadrons and the RAF has a couple squadrons there as well. The Nimitz CVBG is based in Diego Garcia and is currently pointed at Pakistan, but can maneuver to assist with Iran or head to Southeast Asia and strike at China from there.”

“I guess Pakistan’s made their choice then,” James added with a scowl.

“Yes, we figured they would side with the Chinese and now it’s looking like they’ll join the war with them officially.”

“Bastards, after all the support we gave back in the eighties. Some of those planes we’ll be fighting will be our own models.”

“It’s partly due to India, but I’ll get to that in a moment. Sir, did you have any plans for the Nimitz?”

“India? Tell me about India first and then I’ll make a decision.”

“Well, India is an ally to us, in a strange way. Not exceptionally close; they’ve trained with us in Red Flag but we’re not doing much other than that,” the Chief of Staff explained. “However, they’re gearing up to go to war with China and Pakistan. China and Pakistan are already allies and India dislikes both. They’re taking this chance to attack China over territory in the Himalayas, and Pakistan over Kashmir. I guess they’re just that foolish, more old hatred, but it pushes Pakistan into China’s camp by default rather than away from us due to our actions. I suppose I don’t need to explain China and Pakistan.”

“That’s a big development, that would be a whole new front to the war.”

“Yes Sir, but it’s one we don’t have any real stock in, and anything other than some basic help would not be worth it. We don’t actually expect this to amount to much. India’s army isn’t very high quality, in equipment or training, but the mountains terrain means it can be locked down, so we’ll mostly see a stalemate and bloodbath in the Himalayas and around the borders, barring a major operational-level offensive. In the end it may be good, as it will likely be a drain on Chinese troops and resources near their mainland.”

“I should mention the Indians are also attempting to help the Tibetans. There’s a lot of talk around that part of the world of a Tibetan uprising since the war’s breaking out,” the CIA Director added. “We’re already looking at supplying them with equipment with this new development; an uprising would bleed off more of the Chinese in the region. I can assure you this front will be a significant drain.”

Starting additional uprisings was not the most alluring option, particularly ones they could not really control. However, the Chinese had made this a game of range and numbers, and their numbers had to be drained as much as possible. If they wished to open additional fronts against the U.S. without much effort, the U.S. would have to do the same. A basic reversal of the Flashpoint Doctrine, bleeding out China’s numbers in conflicts with local rivals.

“Alright Admiral, I’ve got something for the carrier,” James said to the sailor as he pressed his finger on the map. “We’re going to go with War Plan Ruby for the Nimitz, Operation Ramrod. With some changes to the original contingency.”

“I’m listening, Sir.”

“Firstly make sure Diego Garcia is secure. Fight off all attacks against it. Once that’s done, have the Nimitz and the local squadrons coordinate in strikes against Pakistan, primarily aimed at neutralizing their air and striking power, and any other important targets. After that, the carrier goes east, conducting preemptive strikes against Burma.”

James gave Lahure a minute to ensure he had everything written down.

“Understood Sir, but Burma- or, Myanmar, they haven’t made any openly hostile moves yet.”

“We already know they’re Chinese allies, they’ve said it, they’re just waiting for the right time, and China will force them to soon. We’ve already seen Chinese aircraft making regular visits to military airports there, so you’ve got carte blanche to cripple their naval and air power.”

“Alright, they’ll get it done. First strike should give them the upper hand on anything there.”

“After that, head through the Strait of Malacca and begin counterattacking China directly, hitting anything they have in the South China Sea, supporting any allies in the region, and attacking China directly if the opportunity arises. Just tell them not to push it; they’re alone and we don’t need to lose another carrier.”

“Will do… got it,” the Admiral confirmed, finishing the last of his scribbling. “I’ll work out those changes and we’ll commence Operation Ramrod as soon as we can. We’ll get control of the Indian Ocean.”

James turned back to his Vice President, who had a better grasp of the local politics of the area. Southeast Asia was a greater mystery than other areas of the globe. They disliked China, but were not direct American allies and there were very few U.S. forces in the region. There was not much that could be done with it.

“Guide me through the rest of this area, fast,” James asked him.

“Rest of Southeast Asia isn’t looking too good. China’s also using this opportunity to move in on a lot of territory of its various neighbors, or they’re taking the chance to attack China; depends on the country but they’re all looking to settle land disputes. The Chinese are moving in on Borneo and the rest of Indonesia, probably to secure the South China Sea and break out into the Indian Ocean. We’re not sure just how successful they’ll be. Beyond that you read the Five Eyes report from PACCOM’s meeting, so you know about The Philippines. Recently one of their frigates had a missile fired at them in the Luzon Strait; no damage but we can assume they’ll be in the war as well, even if it’s limited to their own turf. We don’t know which side Vietnam will take, if they’ll saddle up with China or turn against them. It’ll likely be the latter due to recent waters disputes but they’re likely just waiting for the right moment. At any rate, we can expect them to seize control of the South China Sea.”

James mulled over this with the others. The bigger additional factor to this area was the Chinese Navy’s carrier fleet, unspoken due to a more detailed briefing discussion the group had the day before. The advances in building ships and other weapons systems had not been restricted to the allied side, as the Bloc were the first to undertake such rapid expansion and assisted the Chinese in doing such as well. The exact number of carriers China possessed was not certain, though known to be at least six or seven, with the best five permanently assigned to a combined fleet.

This was a daunting number but while the quantity was high the quality of both ships and crews were still dubious. Unlike their Bloc allies, who were quickly adapting to carrier warfare and were boasting both numbers and a great quality in equipment upkeep and crew performance, the Chinese were clearly lacking. The mix of inexperience with such operations was combined and magnified by the stringent constraints of the authoritarian communist system they persisted in. With freedom and flexibility being replaced by indoctrination and punishment, the ability to learn and adapt was paralyzed and in turn the advantage of their new large fleet was curbed.

Still, it was a powerful fleet, and was sailing somewhere in the Far Eastern Pacific. Because of these problems it usually remained there, close to China itself, protecting their half of the ocean and the ship transport lines between them and Arcaia, content to allow the superior carrier forces of the Bloc nations duel with their American counterparts. Regardless, they were a dangerous factor that required constant monitoring.

“We’ll have to keep an eye on things there. There’s not much else we can do, but we can’t let them take over too much. If they plan to do it. What about the Far East?”

“Taiwan’s under the most immediate threat, as always. The strait islands were already invaded and seized a few hours ago, I think we can expect a full invasion of the island soon. Considering the terrain and fortifications, and the lack of amphibious and airborne invasion experience of the attackers, it’s going to be very bloody for the Communists. But, without support, it’s unlikely Taiwan can hold out against that goliath, and they don’t have support.”

“Nothing we can offer them?” James asked Lahure.

“Nothing that won’t open up holes in our own lines. I can send one, maybe two of the subs we still have in Japan, get them to do a quick sortie against the invasion fleet. It’ll probably be easy to hurt it, considering how packed the straits will be, but not enough to stop them.”

The men stared at the map, and the tiny blue island that represented Taiwan. It had been hoped that they could be used to keep China pinned in, and later be used as a base for strikes against the mainland. However, without help, they had no realistic chance of holding out for a prolonged period.

“How is Japan looking?”

“Mobilizing themselves. They’ve told us they’re still not taking direct part in the fighting in Arcaia but with China it’s a different story. We can probably expect the two navies to tangle in the East China Sea, and over some of the Ryukyu Islands,” the Chairman answered. “North Korea hasn’t done anything yet, surprisingly, but there’s no chance it’ll stay that way. Satellite imagery has shown a buildup of military units, so their silence is likely just a poor attempt at being sneaky. With us in such a major war there’s no chance those insane guys would pass up an opportunity to take South Korea.”

“Then we can’t pull anything out of there?” James guessed.

“I’m afraid the 2nd Infantry Division and the Air Force units stationed there will have to stay, but we’re hoping it will be enough to at least stop the attack. Everyone there and the South's military has been on alert and preparing since the war broke out, so they won’t have the element of surprise.”

“And that brings us to the main front in Arcaia. Have there been any new developments since this morning’s briefing?”

“No Sir, nothing major.”

“Give me a repeat on the rest of the flattops anyways,” the President insisted. “Fully, no stops.”

Enterprise is still the only one of ours left near Arcaia proper, though the Equestrians have the Magic, and the Royal Navy’s Prince of Wales battlegroup with the Ark Royal in it too. The America’s combined carrier group with the Independence, Ranger, and Saratoga are still active and holding down Hawaii. Lincoln and Washington are in Pearl, Reagan and Ford in Seattle, all undergoing repairs; they’ll be out of action for some time. HMCS Presence and the rest of COMMAG have been deployed to the Marshall Islands on a strike mission. Theodore Roosevelt is operating near Australia to make sure the Chinese or Bloc don’t make any moves in the South Pacific but she can move north if needed. The Stennis is transiting to Arcaia now and should be reaching it within a few days. Eisenhower is cruising at high speed, still moving from her old station on the Pacific end of South America. She’s along the Mexican coast right now, she’ll reach San Diego in the next two days. Once there they’ll replenish and begin moving up the coast to help defend Alaska and reinforce our naval power in the Northern Pacific.”

With this came the worry of the Equestrians themselves. The Ponies had done reasonable since the war began, about as much as could be expected considering the circumstances, but not exceptionally well. Since China's entry into the war, even more pressure had been placed on them, and it had only gotten worse. The sad part was that, at least for now, they could not be fully relied upon, and these new developments meant fewer human forces would be available to cover for them. James worried about them, needless to say, though the desire of Americans to fight and save them was not as high as it was for fighting to stop the enemy, as it was beginning to feel more like a fight for them rather than with them. He could only hope that would change, that the Equestrians would get past their own failures, inexperience, and reservations, and improve, and hopefully in turn the general mood of the Americans would change.

"I'll have to talk to the Equestrians about these new developments," he groaned. "Gentleman, if there's nothing else to add, we'll have to wrap up."

"No Sir, that's all we've got for now," said the Chairman.

"Thank you, you can all head out now. I've got some work to do."

As the group began to exit, one of them remained in the office. The final man in the room waited for the others to leave, resting on the end of the couch where he had been for the duration of the meeting. He had not spoken during the briefing, he had no need to. He worked in secret, high-level aerodynamics designing of the kind the Skunk Works lab specialized in. The President approached him once the others had left, taking a seat on the other end of the couch from him.

“What do you think, Mister Stone?”

“I think it’s a pretty shit situation-ah sorry to be crude, Mister President,” the man answered. “All these years talking with high-level government officials and I still can’t control my mouth. But it’s a bad situation alright. We’re lucky we’ve got enough resources to cover our bases. At least it looks that way.”

“Yeah, we don’t know what will happen though,” James replied. “You though. Tell me you’ve got some good news for me.”

“The new Blackbirds are coming along well. In fact, I've got a first flight test date for you over in Palmdale.”

“Excellent! Still, we might have to rush them into service though. Before they’re polished and ready.”

“They’re coming along well. I’ll admit it’s not the first flight overall, we ran a few low-level early runs. This is the first flight to really make sure it can get up there, you know? Really see what it can do.”

“So they’ll be ready soon?”

“Definitely! I’m looking forward to showing you how the Blackbirds fly.”

Author's Note:

I know these chapters seem to take a while to get published, I'm sorry if it seems like I'm lagging. There's always tons of stuff to deal with in life but I'm glad I'm able to keep up with this. Thank you guys for reading and sticking with this, too.

And thank you to TNB for pre-reading this chapter for me, he's a lot kinder of a friend than I deserve. Go give his stuff a look if you're interested, you certainly won't be bored.

In terms of this, I get this chapter was a bit slow and blockish but I figured everyone deserved an explanation of how the world was working in context to this war. How things were shaking out and such, and I hope it was at least interesting. The following chapters will have a lot more action to them. If you have any questions concerning the stuff here, feel free to ask.

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