Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter.
Let's get to it.
Chapter 6- First Deployments
(April 1, 2017)
As the sun rises high over west Texas, at Fort Bliss not far from El Paso, the base is a hive of activity.
Ever since President Trump issued orders for the 1st Armored Division, based at Fort Bliss, to prepare to deploy to Valinor to reinforce the Free Peoples, the Division had begun preparations to deploy. These preparations had kicked up a notch following the attack on Dallas. Now, at last, the division is ready to deploy.
Searches for breaches across America had located one just 2 miles from Fort Bliss that emerges outside the Noldor city of Tirion. This breach would be the one the 1st Armored would use to travel to Valinor. The Noldor were already working to set up a temporary camp for the division to use, and the division would finish it following their arrival. The Valar had decided to allow the US to marshal their forces on the plains of Valinor leading up to the start of the war. This would be the first, and likely only, time that Men would be allowed to remain in Valinor for an extended period of time. The troops of the 1st Armored were told the implications of what this meant, and that they were to be on their best behavior.
Near the entrance of the base, 1st Lieutenant Jack Rollings is doing final checks on his M1 tank. Rollings is the tank commander. Rollings is feeling a great sense of anticipation. Although he's still relatively new, only having just been promoted to 1st Lieutenant, he's recognized as one of the most capable tank commanders in his brigade, with a deep understanding on the workings of the M1 and how to use it. However, this will be his first deployment with the division, and eventually his first taste of combat. He's feeling slight nervousness, but also a great sense of eagerness, looking forward to getting to take revenge for the attack on Dallas.
Rollings' tank will be one of the first tanks out of the base, and he knows the division is scheduled to begin departing in just a few minutes. Rollings continues his walkaround, checking the last few things he needs to check before giving a thumbs up to his company commander. After getting a thumbs up back, Rollings climbs up onto the tank and then climbs through the hatch and into the tank.
"Everything ready?" he asks the other three members of the tank crew.
"Yup. Everything's ready," his driver responds.
"Copy that. Now we just gotta wait for the signal," Rollings says before poking his head back out of the turret hatch, waiting for the signal.
Rollings sits there, waiting. It's only another 2 minutes before a bugle call sounds, which is the agreed upon signal for the division to begin its advance out of the base.
Rollings drops back down into the tank and says loudly, "Let's move it, boys!"
The driver, with a big grin on his face, guns the engine, and the tank begins rolling forward, accelerating to 40 mph as it and several other tanks lead the division's advance out of the base. Families have gathered near the entrance to watch the division depart.
Rollings advances along the road, then turns off the road at the indicated spot, advancing towards the location of the portal.
As the leading tanks reach the portal, Rollings pokes his head out of the hatch. He sees some equipment set up around the perimeter of the portal. Preliminary research into the portals had revealed how some of the physics of the portals worked. With a mix of help from Maiar and scientists, they had been able to enlarge the portal a bit to make it easier for the division to pass through.
Right then, the tank's radio comes to life, and the brigade commander's voice comes over it, saying, "All units, division commander has cleared to advance through the portal."
"Alright, boys. Time to travel to another world," Rollings says. The driver nods and holds the tank on a steady course.
As the tank passes through the portal, everyone inside suddenly feels as if they've passed into a zero gravity zone. For several seconds, they feel as if they're tumbling through the air before the feeling passes, and Rollings feels them trundling along again.
"What the hell?" Rollings mutters to himself before standing up and popping the hatch again.
Rollings is surprised at what he sees. He is now on a vast open plain, with a massive city in the distance. He sees a temporary camp in the process of being set up not far from the spot where he emerged from the portal.
On the field near the camp, Noldor that had been working to set up the camp ahead of the Americans' arrival stare in awe as half a dozen tanks roll through the portal. More tanks keep coming, followed by Bradleys, with the unarmored vehicles following behind. The Elves watch in amazement at the size of the American division, especially since they have heard that this will only be a fraction of the total force the Americans will eventually be able to deploy to Arda.
Rollings' driver manuevers the tank across the field towards the camp. The Noldor had thankfully outlined the designated area where the tanks will be parked while the division is in Valinor.
One by one, each of the division's 404 tanks manuevers into the designated parking area and parks. The Noldor just stare in amazement at the rows and rows of tanks.
It takes over two hours after the first tank crossed through the breach before the last men of the division comes through the breach. Already, men from the division are getting to work finishing setting up the camp.
The division commander, Major General Stephen Twitty, watches as his men begin their tasks to set up the camp. Privately, Twitty knows he won't be in Valinor long, as he is scheduled to be relieved as division commander in just three months, and will in turn by taking command of the First Army after leaving the division. However, for the time he will be in Valinor, he is looking forward to it.
(Off the coast of Virginia)
Aboard the bridge of the carrier USS Harry S Truman, the group commander of Carrier Strike Group 8, Rear Admiral Bret Batchelder, watches as an F/A-18E Super Hornet comes into land. The carrier group is currently about 50 miles off the coast of Virginia, waiting for the last few planes of its air wing to land before making their way to the portal they will take to Arda.
The military had been very pleased to discover a portal at sea, so far the only one discovered. In order to control passage in and out of it, and to prevent other countries from using the portal to get to Arda, the portal is protected by ships of Destroyer Squadron 2.
The Truman and her escorts will be the first naval forces to deploy to Arda, and will also be the first to engage in combat. They are to launch their first airstrike against Morgoth in five days time. For that reason, the carrier is fully equipped, including all four of the fighter squadrons of Carrier Air Wing One.
Finally, the last Super Hornet comes in and touches down on the stern, trapping the second arrestor wire. As it comes to a stop, an aircraft director comes in and starts guiding the Super Hornet into its parking spot.
Now that the last of the planes of the air wing are aboard, Rear Admiral Batchelder calls out, "Set course due north, speed 25."
The order is relayed to the other ships of the Strike Group, and one by one, the whole group turns north towards the site of the portal.
About two hours later, Batchelder hears a lookout call out, "Ship sighted!"
Batchelder walks out onto the outside of the bridge and raises his binoculars. Looking north, he spots three ships on the horizon. Looking carefully, he can identify the USS Mitscher and USS Porter. It takes him a few more seconds before he identifies USS Forrest Sherman as the third destroyer. "The ships of Desron 2. Looks like we're coming up on the portal."
The Strike Group continues ahead at 25 knots, heading straight for the portal. The three destroyers of DesRon 2 move a bit further from the portal to allow the Strike Group to move through the portal.
The first ship to pass through the portal is the cruiser USS Hue City. Everyone watches as the cruiser reaches the portal, and then vanishes as it hits the portal.
A number of sailors on the other ships feel a bit unnerved as they watch the cruiser disappear. However, the remaining ships of the Strike Group continue ahead.
As the rest of the ships pass through the portal, all crewmen feel the sensation of tumbling through space for several seconds before they come out of the other side of the portal, finding themselves in a rather calm sea.
Batchelder feels a strange sensation knowing that he's now in another world. He quickly realizes this may be one of the great highlights of his career.
However, he quickly pushes this aside. He has prepared for this. The Navy had determined already that the Arda side of the portal was about halfway between the shore of Valinor and the coast of Lammoth. Many of the deck crew start to shiver a bit from the lower temperatures than they were just feeling off the coast of Virginia.
Batchelder knows that navigation is going to be difficult for a long time here in Arda. They have no access to GPS. The US is already prepping GPS satellites meant to be launched into orbit over Arda from a rocket launch facility they are preparing to begin building in Valinor, but it could be over a year before GPS is available to the US forces. For a military that has become dependent on GPS, it's going to be a bit difficult until they get used to just operating using maps.
"Reduce speed to 20 knots, set course 110," he says. Thankfully, a simple compass still works in Arda, and the Strike Group turns to the south-east. They have orders to position themselves in the Firth of Drengist, about 40 miles from any coast, from where they are to begin preliminary airstrikes against targets in Hithlum.
As the ships heads for their assigned position, many of the crew feel a slight sense of anticipation, knowing that they are entering uncharted territory for the modern military, and wondering how this is going to turn out.
(5 days later)
On the bridge of the Truman, Batchelder watches as the deck crew manuever Super Hornets around the flight deck, getting them into position for takeoff. Hours earlier, an C model Hornet had flown a reconnaissance mission over Hithlum and had managed to capture some photos of Morgoth's forces in the area.
The last few days had been spent gaining as much intel about Morgoth's forces as possible. Now, at last, they were ready to make their first attack. This first attack will be launched with just 12 Super Hornets. Each Super Hornet is carrying a centerline fuel tank and is armed with four 500 pound bombs and 4 Rockeye cluster bombs. A Hawkeye will be flying command and control for the mission. With radio towers having been set up in Valinor and on an island in the sea between Beleriand and Valinor, the ships and aircraft will be able to communicate.
"Sir, the ship is turned into the wind, and all aircraft are ready to begin launching," the air boss calls down to the flag bridge from the control center.
"Good. Start launching," Batchelder responds over the phone.
"Copy," the air boss says. He puts his phone down and orders, "You got the green light! Get 'em in the air!"
The order is relayed down to the flight deck, and the first two Super Hornets launch from the forward catapults. The next two Super Hornets taxi up to the catapults as the first two climb into an orbit above the Strike Group. It takes about 25 seconds before the next two launch. It takes about two and a half minutes before all twelve Super Hornets are in the air. After forming up, they set off towards their targets on a course of 080.
Cruising at a speed of 300 miles per hour, it take them less than an hour before they arrive over the area in southern Hithlum where the small army they had been assigned to hit is camped. The sun is just coming up, so the Orcs are just beginning to wake up and start eating.
The lead pilot, a Commander who is the squadron leader of VFA-81, Commander Harold Thurston, calls out over the radio, "All pilots, cleared to attack. Hit whatever you feel like."
"Copy that," one of the flight leaders calls out before he wings over and dives towards the ground in a slight left bank.
Down on the ground, Orcs hear the roar of the jet engines. Looking up, they see the diving Super Hornet. None of them realize that they are in danger. Some think it's a new creation of Morgoth's. Some think it's just a flying creature they've never seen.
The pilot arms his 500 pound bombs. Finally, at an altitude of about 2,500 feet, he punches the pickle button, dropping his 500 pound bombs at 2 second intervals. He then pulls out of his dive, levelling off at about 500 feet.
The Orcs watch in awe as the Super Hornet streaks overhead as inside the cockpit, the pilot flips the armament switch to his cannon. Then, he squeezes the trigger as the first bomb hits.
The first bomb explodes, killing several dozen Orcs as the Super Hornet's cannon springs to life, firing off 204 rounds. The rounds tear through the ranks of the Orcs, shredding Orcs into pieces as the remaining three bombs also impact the ground, killing more Orcs.
The Orc army dissolves into panic as they realize that whatever these things are, they mean them harm. Many Orcs scatter in panic, looking for cover. However, more Super Hornets dive to the attack, dropping their bombs on the Orcs. Hundreds of Orcs are killed by the bombs or strafing runs.
The Super Hornets climb back up to about 3,000 feet. Now, each pilots arms his Rockeyes as some of the Orcs on the ground try firing arrows at them, but the arrows fall well short.
Finally, Commander Thurston starts the Rockeye attack as he punches two of his Rockeyes off two seconds apart. About a second after each Rockeye is dropped, the casing splits apart and deploys the bomblets. Almost 500 bomblets fall to the ground, scattering over a rather large area, killing hundreds of Orcs.
The remaining Super Hornets punch off two of their Rockeyes, then begin to circle as they watch the bomblets landing. The pilots wait a few minutes as they watch the smoke and dust clearing to get a clearer view of their remaining targets, then move in and drop their two remaining Rockeyes. Thousands of bomblets land all around the Orcs, killing over a thousand. The Super Hornets then swoop in for another strafing pass, firing off the rest of the ammunition in their cannons.
As the Super Hornets climb back into the sky, Thurston looks down at the scene below them. What had been a large Orc campsite is now in ruins and burning. The campsite is effectively destroyed, with several thousand Orcs dead.
The Super Hornets climbs to 8,000 feet and head back to the Truman, using easily identifiable landmarks to navigate back to the carrier.
News of this soon begins to spread among Morgoth's forces. It will not be long before Morgoth learns that the Free Peoples have created a new weapon that flies through the air and drops fire on them from above. Privately, Morgoth wonders if the Free Peoples have somehow managed to create winged fire dragons of their own, not yet knowing that it is a different weapon that can cause almost as much damage. A sign of the destruction that will soon be raining down on Morgoth's forces across Beleriand.
And I'll end there. Hope this was a good chapter.
So, the 1st Armored and the Truman are in Arda. For the next year and a half, American actions will be mostly limited to airstrikes launched from carriers, and also some special forces recon missions.
Next chapter will be set months after this one, and will be mostly showing progress of preparations for war. It should be up rather soon. Until it is, please leave a review and stay tuned!