THE SIBERIAN WAR-SHOCKWAVES
By Red Star
NOTE: I do not own any of the anime or real characters in this story.
Today, the world reacts.
* * * *
PARIS, FRENCH EMPIRE
Napoleon IV nervously drummed his fingers on the table as Marshal Jacques Le Cheroe,
The Chief of the French Imperial General Staff, reported on the situation in Asia.
"The Japanese have occupied a total of perhaps 1,567 square miles. At least 210,000 are heading south toward Vladivostock. The Russians have an estimated troop strength of 450,000 in their Eastern Theater. The Japanese have landed about 900,000 troops and the number is growing." The Chief sat down as Napoleon turned toward Grand Admiral Joseph Lesoe, Commander in Chief of the French Imperial Navy. Lesoe cleared his throat and spoke. "The Russians managed to strike a devastating blow to the Japanese 2nd Fleet. My intelligence officers say that almost half of it has either been sunk or crippled. That number includes it's two aircraft carriers. However, the Japanese have sent their 3rd Fleet to link up with the 2nd and attack the Russian Pacific Fleet." Napoleon IV, Emperor of the French and King of Italy, clasped his hands together. His eyes looked saddened. " Is Indochina's Grand Army Command strong enough to keep the Japanese out of it?" Marshal Cheroe answered, "Indochina has about 500,000 troops in it. They're backed by 750 tanks and 450 planes. But the question isn't whether our forces in Indochina can push the Japanese back, it's a question of the Imperial Navy's ability to keep them out at least until we can move our troops into position." The Emperor was silent. And then he began rattling off orders. "Draw up some plans for naval defense of Indochina. If you need more ships, you may have them. No, wait…I'll give them to you right now. I'll order the Joan of Ark carrier group to report to Pacific Fleet Command immediately. Ask the British if we can use some of their bases for refueling; I want the 8th Air Fleet out of Gabon to be transferred to Indochina. If we are to go to war gentlemen, then I want to show France's reborn military might."
LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND
King William V looked down at the charts of his holdings in Asia. The British Empire controlled Australia, New Zealand, and half of New Guinea. Australia had been found to be somewhat wealthy in oil and this, mixed with the wheat sales from Australia's rich crops, kept the British War Machine humming. Now these were in danger, as the Japanese had invaded Russia to gain a new land rich with oil, newly exploited farmland, steel, timber, coal and other wonders. Field Marshal Sir Philip Dowings, Commander in Chief of the Royal Army, stood to the King's left. Beside the Field Marshal stood Admiral of the Fleet Lord Joseph Baringer, Commander in Chief of the Royal Navy, and Marshal of the RAF Sir Jonathan Bolding, Commander in Chief of the Royal Air Force. The King said, "Look at this, would you? Two carrier groups in the pacific, with the Japanese controlling six! They could come down with 200,000 men and two groups, shove us off Australia, and have enough men left over to kick our bums out of New Zealand!" The King looked up at his commanders. The Admiral was the first to speak.
"Your Majesty, the Royal Navy Pacific Fleet should be reinforced with a larger fleet from other parts of the Empire. We have three carrier groups, including the Churchill group, at your command in India. If you order them to the pacific, we would be able to launch a massive strike against the Japanese fleet that would leave nothing but scrap in 65% of their harbors." The King shook his head. The Churchill was another super-carrier that held about 85 planes. William needed that to keep Pakistan at bay. The Pakistani leaders were still sore over the harsh blow from the British after William took control of India. Pakistan was somewhat smaller from the last clash between the Royal Army's Indian forces and the Holy Army of Pakistan's religious fanatic dictators.
"I need that to force Pakistan to keep to their surrender treaty. But you can have the Montgomery group." Then an idea occurred to him. "Wait a tick, contact the French and German Admiralty's, see how they would feel about a joint defense operation." The Admiral saluted and went out the door to fill out the King's command.
Later that night, William V picked up the phone on his desk and dialed a number in Cornwall. " 'Ello, Dad? How are you? I'm fine, thanks…How's Camilla?"
BERLIN, GERMAN REICH
German Emperor and King of Prussia Paul I looked up at the massive computerized map that took up half of the wall of the war room in the Reich Ministry of Defense. Showing were Japanese naval, army, and air units. Some were located on the Japanese mainland, but many had now swarmed onto Russia's east coast. Southward lay Germany's forces in the Pacific. These consisted of about 25,000 Imperial Army troops, 240 Panzers of the Leopard 1 and 2 class, a Reich Luftwaffe Air Fleet of 340 fighters, helicopters, and bombers, and a Pacific Fleet scattered around it's ports in Northern New Guinea, Micronesia, Palau, and Samoa. Field Marshal Hermann von Hothner, Reich Minister of Defense stood beside him, explaining the situation. "The Japanese have placed a large part of their army in Russia, mein Kaiser, they have left perhaps 300,000 troops on their homeland for their defense in case the Russians should attempt anything on the Japanese mainland." The Kaiser turned toward Erich Floghof, the German Foreign Minister. "Herr Floghof," asked Paul, "Has Herr Dolfman in Tokyo gotten any news from his contacts in the Japanese High Command?" Floghof shook his head. "Nein, mein Kaiser, the German Reich is still left in the dark as to why they've devolved to the days of Adolf Hitler and Tojo." Paul narrowed his eyes at the mention of the Nazi Fuhrer. Floghof suddenly realized he'd mentioned a man whom the Emperor considered an insult to the House of Hohenzollern. The Kaiser despised Hitler for all that the Nazis had done to Germany. He felt sure that if the power hungry old farts Hindenburg and Ludendorff hadn't gotten in the way of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Germany's history would have been more glorious than being reduced to a nation whose hands were stained with millions of innocents' blood.
It was only after Paul I took back the throne of Germany that honor was restored to the German Fatherland, which had extended east after a brief conflict with an insane Polish Military Dictator. Paul turned back to the screen and began thinking, hard.
"Reinforce our troops in the Pacific, the German Reich in the East must be preserved!"
WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
U.S. President Jesse Ventura was watching CNN in his study. Mrs. Amonpour, the chief foreign correspondent, was reporting from Moscow. "The Emperor announced a State of War between Russia and Japan before the Russian Parliament today. He has ordered the mobilization of the armed forces and has commanded Marshal Belosovsky, the senior commander in Siberia, to attack the enemy with all the forces at his disposal." Ventura switched off the T.V. He stood up and said to his National Security Advisor, "I want the Pacific Fleet ready for a Japanese attack. And get me London, Paris, and Berlin. We've got to have a strategy for this thing."
VLADIVOSTOCK FRONT, SIBERIA
Lakov watched his tanks smash into the enemy from his mobile command post. Over head the regiment of Su-37 fighter bombers soared into battle. They unloaded a few hundred pounds of Napalm over the Japanese infantry forces and then turned back before the Japanese could come back with their own fighters. He became slightly excited as he heard the thunder of his artillery guns. A few thousand shells rose into the air and landed in the Japanese lines. The panicked soldiers behind the Japanese tanks began to fire wildly as Lakov's 52nd Rifle Division began a major offensive. T-80's swarmed into the Japanese lines. And then, he smiled as he watched the enemy beginning to fall back, without thousands of soldiers that had been lost to a combination of artillery, tanks, infantry, and radio-controlled land mines. He heard a cheer and more machine gun fire. The troops were celebrating and well they should. Lakov had rallied them into a single command called the Vladivostock Front, of which he was commander in chief. Speaking of which, he was wondering about his superior, Belosovsky, and what he was doing.
KHABAROVSK
Marshal Belosovsky stepped out of his armored car and looked back toward his fallen command center. The Japanese had moved swiftly and a single force had risen out of the Invading Armies to capture Khabarovsk, the 2nd Army under a man named Nohitomo. Belosovsky could only watch through tears as the Rising Sun flag was raised over the city. This was the end. The Emperor would be furious when he heard of this. Belosovsky would be swiftly replaced and then what? He had nowhere to go. The Army was all he had, his family…
The Marshal ducked inside his car for his bottle of vodka.
STAVKA COMMAND CHAMBER, KREMLIN, MOSCOW
"HE LOST KHABAROVSK!!" shouted the Emperor. Marshal Toverov winced at this roar of anger, but could understand what had lit it. The Emperor's chief general in the east had lost his own command post within a matter of three days. The Emperor sat down at a conference table in the middle of the room. He thought for a moment and said, "Belosovsky is finished with his command!"
OUTSIDE KHABAROVSK
Haruka led the small squad of Bell "Cobra" helicopters sent to disrupt Russian military traffic. "Blue leader to all units: Be careful, the Ruskies are reported to have a regiment of Mil-24's around here. These things are toys compared to them."
It was then that she noticed a small group of armored vehicles. They were all gathered around one man who was walking around drunkenly. Away from him were a group of men with visor-caps who appeared to be examining a map. They also looked like they were ignoring the drunken man.
"Blue leader to all units: continue to Russian bridgehead. I think I have the big boys in my sights."
She then moved the throttle to the right and dove into what would be a strange turn in the battle.
"We have the 45th Army in reserve in Chita Military district," said Lieutenant General Grigori Polev, "They can be here in two days at most." Colonel General Yakov Tolin nodded in understanding. "Right, I'll get the Marshal to sign an order when…"
Suddenly the ground was ripped up by bullets. General Polev was hit and was promptly dragged into an armored personnel carrier by his aide. Tolin, once inside the safety of an APC, looked outside and saw Belosovsky still dawdling around in a drunken stupor. "Marshal! Run!"
But it was too late, Belosovsky was hit from behind. He twitched violently and fell to his knees. And then he fell on his face. His jacket stained by his blood and ripped open by bullets. Tolin quickly reached over to the radio. "This is Colonel General Tolin, I need air cover! They just shot Belosovsky!"
THE KREMLIN
The Emperor looked up from his desk to see his military adjutant Captain Vasily Dolinsky burst in. "Belosovsky has been killed," the captain stated quietly. The Emperor sat back and looked at the papers he was almost through signing, halfway in fact. They were the ones that would have removed Belosovsky from his command.