Chp. 39: Peace, Honor, Survival

March 24, 2024

Port Houghton International Airport, Skully Islands

Two jetliners, an Osean C-40B and Verusean Tu-154M, touched down on opposite runways at nearly the same time. Like some kind of mirror act, they both slowed and turned to the center of the islands' biggest transportation hub at nearly the same time. It had been a product of international competition; the Veruseans didn't want to seem like they were coming hat in hand to the Oseans. The Oseans, weary of how the country would spin things, didn't want to give them the same advantage. The best that could be done was having them land at almost exactly the same time. The foreign ministers of Osea's allies in the fight had arrived; Songola's Park Kyu-Chul had been particularly determined to see to it that his country and the Shimojis' (represented by Takeo Imadori) set the tone of negotiations. Secretary Uragami had been compelled to keep the man in check, but balanced that with his approval over the stance. The local powers would ultimately need to take the lead.

As the plane reached a walking pace, Uragami was waiting by the door with his detail from the Diplomatic Security Service. One of General Welsh's aides stood nearby with a briefcase full of ammo for the Secretary's arguments. Besides the economic pressure hanging just above Versua's head, the Yuktobanian government had secretly begun to talk with Osea about the prospect of entering the war. They had mobilized more elements of the Tabilanii Military District, including the region's SA-23 Gladiator systems to defend against Verusean ballistic missiles. If things got desperate enough, then he'd play that card. The C-40 and Tu-154 went to opposite hangers where executive cars and a crowd of reporters and security forces awaited them. Uragami heard the surge of the host nation's anthem as the door opened and revealed the boarding stairs. He stepped forward and held up a hand in greeting to the flock of reporters and the individuals who'd simply come to see the arrival of the dignitary.

Uragami descended the stairs, switching between waving and watching his step. Two crew of the C-40 snapped to attention and the leader of the local honor guard snapped the man a crisp salute as his detail welcomed the dignitary. Uragami returned the salute as his DSS agents formed a moving perimeter around him. The ministers from Songola and the Shimoji Islands were waiting for him at the end of a red carpet with Minister Stanley Donoughue of The Skully-Aucklin Commonwealth. He happily shook hands with the three.

"Welcome to the Skully Islands, Mister Secretary." Donoughue said with a wide smile and enthusiastic shake of the man's hand.

"On behalf of the President and people of the Osean Federation, thank you for hosting us, Minister." Uragami replied.

"Let's not waste time then, eh? I hope the Hotel Emerald suits your tastes."

"So long as they still have that Sunday brunch they do, roast and all."

"I can assure you that the roast has gone nowhere."

"Good. Shall we?"

Uragami took a limo with the aide and the two other foreign dignitaries to discuss what had been done so far and to bring them up to speed (short of the Yuktobanian option). The goal was status quo ante bellum; a return to pre-war borders followed by reparations. It was the most realistic they could get, and the best option to trying to invade Verusa itself. Welsh had predicted that it would take the full weight of the Songolian and Shimoji militaries, the entire Tabilanii Military District, and two Osean army groups with support to successfully invade and occupy the country. It could take years to pacify and rebuild the nation. That kind of commitment was unacceptable to ask of the Osean people and the people of their allies.

"The entire ISAF Coalition is still prepared to support economic sanctions against Verusa, and we will settle for nothing less than a complete Verusean withdrawal from all territory it has unjustly taken." Donoughue reiterated.

"Do we have any idea how much the new government will be willing to budge?" Imadori asked.

"I'm hoping that they'll see reason with one of their armies about to be thrown into the sea and the other about to be encircled while the world's largest army is gathering along their northern border." Uragami replied, already feeling worn.

"Who did they send as head of the delegation?" Park added wearily.

"Turns out Yao Xinian is heading it instead of sending someone to do his work."

It was a familiar face, at least. Backed by Erusean Minister of Foreign Affairs Janko Terzic and whatever the hell those assholes wanted out of this. The CIA suggested it was likely another play by the country to gain international prestige and to gain favor with Verusa. A monarchist regime wanting to get along with a communist one; not as surprising as it could be.

"So gentlemen, does three hours to let me settle in, followed by dinner and final planning sound like a good schedule before bedtime? I want us to be alert and our minds clear when we sit down at that table." Uragami spoke up, trying to sound at least a little lighthearted. He got nothing but nods.

"Roast clears the mind, eh Mister Secretary?" Donoughue

"Normally I'd say wine does, but too much and it all gets muddy again."

The group laughed as the limo and its escorting SUVs navigated the streets at racing speeds. Almost every corner had police or men in suits or polos. The Osean-led delegation made it to the hotel first and were whisked underground to the parking garage with only fleeting photo opportunities by the press. They had no less than twelve hours to beat the jet lag and get to talking. All the press conferences, smiling and waving would come later and after they'd established a reasonable timeline for a Verusean withdrawal.

Xinian and his delegation were in much the same position, but he knew that the Oseans and their allies wouldn't accept anything less than full surrender. The president had been clear: prevent an invasion at all costs. The nation, and more importantly its government, had to survive. They were in a fragile position as dissent over the constant bombing grew. Wáng-Xú was already heaping all the blame on the old men, saying they had become tainted by imperialist urges. All the more reason to have kept an arm's length from the Eruseans, but that bit had been ignored by Xinian's political superiors. Survival, and an honorable one, was all that could be done to prevent the people from dragging the regime into the streets to be shot. The spirit and ideals of revolution were as much a tool as they were a danger, the Minister thought grimly.

That time between arrival and the scheduled start of talks went by like a fever dream. The start of matters had the usual fanfare and speeches by every relevant party. The hotel's main conference room had been cleared of all but a few tables with one large one in the center. The photographers seemed to be determined to make up for the hasty, low-key arrival of the delegations tenfold. Uragami quietly wondered if he wasn't just witnessing an array of strobe lights going off. He endured it a few minutes before taking his seat and holding up a hand to the media.

"Thank you everyone, thank you, but I think it's time for us to get on with business. I'm certain that Minister Xinian agrees." He said.

"Yes, we appreciate your time and interest, but there are far more important matters to tend to." The Verusean replied.

So began what was probably the most important battle of the war...

Mark got the phone on the third ring.

"VF-138 Ops Department, Lieutenant Walker speaking." He drawled.

"Tex, it's Stickler; Skipper wants everyone in the Ready Room in ten, says it's important." Seth explained immediately.

"He say what it was for?"

"Said he'd tell us in ten minutes, so hurry. I don't think he wants anybody arriving late on this one."

"Gotcha, thanks Stickler."

Mark looked over to Eddie as he hung up the phone to relay what their fellow pilot had told him.

"Alright, but as soon as the man's done with his fireside chat we gotta get back here and finish up this stuff. We're too deep to come up short, especially when we're looking at retaking Fusamone." The Operations Officer grumbled.

The two filed out and walked the short distance from Ops to the Ready Room with the others. The mix of flight suits and khakis told him this was no scramble, no urgent matter that required them to man their aircraft. VF-123 was on BARCAP duty today; Mark recalled that much of VF-138's scheduled flying was either done with or due to kick off after the sun went stopped at the coffee machine to talk with Blank and Bruh as they tried to do the inevitable: figure out what it was about this time.

"So what's the leading theory?" He asked as he pulled his mug off its hook.

"Nothing exciting, probably getting us pumped up for hitting Fusamone. Half the SDF is set to move in on that place and they'll have round-the-clock CAS." Bruh mused.

"Either that or updating us on the negotiations. Whatever worth those have for us at the moment." Blank replied as he moved out of Mark and Eddie's way.

"With luck, he's telling us that Verusa imploded on its own and all we have to do is wait until they all go slinking back inside the country's borders." Eddie grumbled.

"We can only hope, Eddie."

With a cup of coffee that was to his liking, Mark grabbed his spot next to Eric, who was sort-of asleep. He adjusted and opened his eyes, looking at his friend as he stretched his arms above his head.

"That was the longest nap I've taken outside of actual sleeping." He commented, lowering his wristwatch to his eyes.

"Which was how long?"

"Uhhhh, about an hour and a half. Too hard to get a long nap on the deck when I'm pulling alert duty."

"Preach, brother. So...Fusamone?"

"Most of the loadouts we have are related to suppressing the ungodly number of anti-aircraft guns and missiles sitting in and around the place. Last I checked, they have close to 175 guns and missiles defending the city now, led by three batteries of HQ-9s that they protect like they're made of gold."

"No one told me we went back to 1972."

"At least we brought AMRAAMs and HARMs with us, but enough about the work life."

"As opposed to what? Our lives at home are on pause, man."

"Okay fair...but you know yesterday I think I almost forgot what Saki's voice sounds like. I kept seeing images of her in my head, but when she moved her mouth, I couldn't match it up with her inflection."

"We've been at war and out to sea too long, is why. It happens, y'all know that. Just think that it'll make everything feel much, much more comforting when we get home. It'll be, like, hearing her voice for the first time all over again."

"That does sound nice."

The sound of the door opening drew everyone's attention, and everyone was on their feet as Vixen snapped to attention and announced McGavin's arrival.

"Grab a seat, everyone." He said, manning his podium while the squadron gave him their full, undivided attention.

"In light of negotiations to end the war, a revised ROE has been passed down. Until further notice, attacks on targets within Verusa are being lifted. However, any aircraft or ships leaving the country's internationally-recognized territorial limit are fair game. Additionally, Verusean forces in the Shimoji Islands and Songolia are also still subject to attack until hostilities are brought to their full conclusion." He started. There was almost no time for a reaction before he went on.

"We will continue to monitor and plan to attack targets in Verusa, specifically their strategic rocket forces. The monitoring of them will be shifting mostly to Air Force assets, Aurora and Global Hawk. We'll also be flying CAP for JSTARS and Rivet Joint while they monitor Verusean movements. Intel, what's the latest on the disposition of Verusa's rocket forces?"

"As of right now, sir, they are at near peacetime readiness. We haven't seen any new movements or deployments since the shakeup in the capital. We believe they've been taken off the table as an option...so long as there's a reason to do so." Hack said, standing up to talk.

"Good...Ops?"

"Yes sir?" Eddie spoke up.

"Raiding Fusamone is still on the table, so I want to make sure you have a solid plan for us. Where are we at?"

"So far we have a solid game plan with VAQ-208 and VF-123 on suppressing ground-based air defenses in and around the city. Wing also just passed down the latest on Verusean aircraft activity, particularly what they have as far as combat aircraft are concerned. It remains centered on the airport and aircraft crossing from Verusa to Fusamone. We estimate the airport can put up 24 fighter aircraft, J-11s and J-7s, and that they have at least eight CAP stations deployed at any given time. The closest air base across the sea can get aircraft there in about 20 to 25 minutes after an attack is first detected. Due to the dwindling number of KJ-2000s they have, the most common command and control platform we're seeing is the KJ-500, which they have on station off the coast most of the time. Initial operations would be aimed at destroying these airborne assets."

"And how many aircraft would these missions require?"

"Eight to ten aircraft with any remaining airframes acting as spares."

"Alright. Maintenance, can you meet those needs?"

Webb seemed reluctant to answer, but went ahead nonetheless.

"The eight aircraft setup would be easier to maintain in the long run compared to the ten. In all honesty, my crews would need a brief stand-down to rest if we're gonna up the tempo of operations."

"The good news is that CAG has ordered just such a stand down to take effect at 2200 tonight. All pilots and aircrew are to follow it for eight hours, and the ship's crew will take theirs in shifts from 1600 until 0600 tomorrow. I don't want any rushing to get things done after this briefing, and I swear if I catch anyone trying to take this time to catch up, you get CAG's tractor run."

Eight hours of sleep seemed to carry the same value as getting paid double for a day of light duty. No one cheered, but Eric knew everyone was smiling, if only tiredly. He was certainly doing so, and the only thing he could think of was retreating to his bunk and sleeping once he was done with what he had to do back at Weapons. Ops had requested daily updates on weapons stocks so they could accurately plan out commitments to Fusamone. He'd been tapped to take the first graveyard shift on alert, but now that would be canned with the stand down. McGavin went on, explaining how the carrier group would reposition to ensure that any attempt to attack them was detected well before they got close, the details of who exactly got to rest...Eric was listening passively. Mark leaned forward as the briefing wrapped up and tapped the Ops Officer on the shoulder.

"Ah didn't even take a bet on this one, Eddie...but Ah owe y'all a slider or two for how close Y'all got on this one."

"At least this time we don't have to trash all the planning we've been doing...yet."