Chapter 3: The Lights of Paris
The battle group was protecting a massive convoy of transports. This convoy was transporting the equipment for XI Corp, one of the three US Army Corps going to Europe for the war against the Soviet Union. The fleet comprised of thirty destroyers, two battleships, and the carrier Washington. Washington was the flagship of the entire fleet. Its planes provided air support for the convoy. So far, they hadn't sighted any Typhoon submarines yet. The Soviet fleet had been notorious for using them during World War 2. So far, they hadn't encountered any yet, but that would soon change. The Soviet navy were currently using bases in Germany to deploy their submarines. Also, they had seized the German Navy, and a lot of their ground and air equipment. Now, their army's equipment had been augmented and they had taken Italy. They were going to make another move. This time, the Soviets were moving too quickly.
"The City of Lights," said Chekov, "I've never been there before. Well, we're going to light it up even more."
Zophia cracked a small smile. They certainly were. After they had seized control of Italy, the Balkan states fell into line quickly. Now all of their forces were poised at France and the rest of Europe. Great Britain was an island nation, so they could easily be isolated and then they too would fall. The other European countries wouldn't be able to resist by arms for too much longer.
"Our forces are approaching Paris, Comrade General," she said.
Chekov nodded. He would be coordinating from afar this time. The French Grand Cannons were formidable defenses, and he did not want to face them. By capturing the French government, they could force a surrender and end the battle before it began.
General Sharp had arrived in London on a plane. He immediately moved the Allied Command Center to another large base. Several Gap Generators were put up so they could hide from Soviet satellites and spy planes. The first of the three convoys would be arriving and their cargo unloaded. III Corp was a powerful force, and the men and women in it had flown over. Currently, staff officers were setting up. Sharp had a low rank for a joint force commander, but the British government had no choice but to give him the command. They could not allow the Soviets to get a foothold on England. That would end any hopes of winning the war. Or would it? The Chronosphere could very well turn the tide again in this war. However, the Soviets had captured Professor Einstein, and taken all of his files. How long before the Soviets also had their Chronosphere? He didn't dwell on that too much. He had work to do.
Grizzly Tanks were parked in the base along with several IFVs. A pity that there were no other heavy tank units, but Allied forces had opted for a faster, less powerful tank, and obviously cheaper battle tank. No surprise there. Several Nighthawk helicopters moved in and landed, unloading the staff officers. They first had to set up camp.
The sound of an airplane overhead surprised the soldiers on duty in Paris. They looked up and saw a dozen airplanes. Just then, three Kirov airships appeared and started dropping bombs on the antiaircraft batteries. The Patriot missile batteries fired, but the Kirovs were too heavily armored. Paratroops dropped from the planes and landed. The Conscripts opened fire on the civilians and killed dozens of them. They moved towards the Eiffel Tower. A team of engineers were dropped with the Tesla unit and followed several Tesla Troopers. There were pretty close to the Tower. Civilians rushed out, fleeing the area. The engineers got in the elevator with five of the Tesla Troopers. The others secured the area. After a few minutes, they got to the top and the engineers set the unit. Electricity poured out of the suits of the Tesla Troopers and powered up the unit. Suddenly, a massive electric bolt struck a Grizzly Tank headed towards the Tower. It was vaporized. Another bolt lashed out, destroying a group of GIs. Now Allied troops were trying to get the hell out of there with the civilians. Several Chinook helicopters appeared and landed. Components for the Physic Beacon were unloaded by the engineers on board. In a matter of minutes, they had set up the Beacon. The remaining Tesla Troopers started powering the Beacon. It activated.
The civilians, soldiers, and other people across the city started getting headaches. They started losing concentration. Finally, after a few minutes, most were transformed into loyal members of the Soviet Empire. Those that had managed to keep their mind free were killed by the now mind- controlled populace. The French government sent out orders for all soldiers to stop fighting and to surrender. This caused so much confusion that the Soviets were able to move in and seize control. France was taken, and only England stood in their way before an invasion of the United States.
"That doesn't make sense," said Sharp, "Why did the French government just surrender? I mean, they had a large standing army, and would have seriously hindered Soviet forces. At least long enough for us to get organized and launch a counterattack."
"Intelligence believes it is because of this," said Lieutenant Eva. She brought up overheads and other pictures of the Physic Beacon. "It is called the Physic Beacon. It seems that this piece of equipment has the ability to control the minds of others."
"Shit," said Sharp, "So that's how they disabled the nuclear arsenals."
"I'd presume so sir," said Eva.
"We're in danger here," said Sharp, "Is XI Corp still at sea?"
"They are halfway," reported Eva.
"Turn them around. IX Corp too. And send the soldiers back to the States. XI Corp stays here. But we can't risk losing all that equipment to mind- control."
"Sir, we need those units-"
"No," said Sharp, cutting her off, "What we need is an army that can fight back at home. Europe is almost a lost cause. I'd give the rest of the mainland a few days at best before they all surrender to the Soviets. As for England, they don't have the forces to fight off an invasion, or the Soviets could just starve them. XI Corp stays here for now. We need to see how this plays out."
"Yes sir," said Eva, "But this isn't going to make Washington or London very happy."
"My suggestion would be to get the British government out of London," said Sharp, "The Soviets could try that same stunt they pulled in Paris."
"Understood sir."
"A very good job, Comrade General," said Yuri.
"Thank you, Comrade Minister."
"General Vladimir was right about you. Now, let's get down to other business. The Israelis are giving our forces in Egypt trouble. We have a nuclear missile site near Cairo which can launch missiles to Jerusalem. That we will do in short time. However, we have another base about half a mile away. It is a research base. The Israeli military is mounting an attack against us there. I want you to defend those two bases. We need two hours before the missiles are ready for launch. Defend our forces until then."
"Yes Comrade Minister."
The link terminated and Chekov prepared to go to Cairo. Well, not really.
"I'm not sure you should have done this General," said Dugan.
"Mr. President, it was either this or let the Soviets take control of our forces," said Sharp.
"England is our ally, and the only place we could launch an attack against the Soviets," said Dugan, "We need to make sure that it doesn't fall."
"Mr. President, we may not be able to keep that from happening. I'm getting reports from Intelligence that indicts that the Soviets have tore down the Eiffel Tower and are using that location to build what they call a Physic Amplifier. You know what the Physic Beacon did to Paris. That Physic Amplifier could very well do the same thing to all of Europe."
"My God," said Dugan.
"I'm requesting permission to at least get my troops out of here," said Sharp, "We have more equipment, though we're certainly going to try to get it out too. The British government also wants to get out of here. They'll most likely go to Canada. However, I want to get back to the States and prepare some kind of plan."
Dugan thought this over. Finally, he nodded. "Permission granted. Get your ass back here General. We can't afford losing you too."
The research base in Egypt was actually doing some interesting things. It seems that Einstein had developed Prism technology. There were two Prism Towers that they were testing. The first tower amplified the power of the second, and the second blew up an Apocalypse Tank in one shot. Such a powerful weapon. And they were developing a sort of Prism Wall using a combination of Tesla and Prism technology. Now this would be very useful for base defense. Chekov looked over the base again. It was second in line to actually be attack. If the Israeli military managed to get through the first base, which was highly unlikely. The Prism Towers were already in use and they were built around both bases. Combined with the Tesla Coils, the bases were nearly impenetrable. Flak Cannons would take care of an air assault. He waited for the Israelis to start their foolish attack.
End of Chapter 3
I'm pretty sure this is the last chapter I'll be able to update for about two weeks. But ah well, what can I do? R+R.
Z98
The battle group was protecting a massive convoy of transports. This convoy was transporting the equipment for XI Corp, one of the three US Army Corps going to Europe for the war against the Soviet Union. The fleet comprised of thirty destroyers, two battleships, and the carrier Washington. Washington was the flagship of the entire fleet. Its planes provided air support for the convoy. So far, they hadn't sighted any Typhoon submarines yet. The Soviet fleet had been notorious for using them during World War 2. So far, they hadn't encountered any yet, but that would soon change. The Soviet navy were currently using bases in Germany to deploy their submarines. Also, they had seized the German Navy, and a lot of their ground and air equipment. Now, their army's equipment had been augmented and they had taken Italy. They were going to make another move. This time, the Soviets were moving too quickly.
"The City of Lights," said Chekov, "I've never been there before. Well, we're going to light it up even more."
Zophia cracked a small smile. They certainly were. After they had seized control of Italy, the Balkan states fell into line quickly. Now all of their forces were poised at France and the rest of Europe. Great Britain was an island nation, so they could easily be isolated and then they too would fall. The other European countries wouldn't be able to resist by arms for too much longer.
"Our forces are approaching Paris, Comrade General," she said.
Chekov nodded. He would be coordinating from afar this time. The French Grand Cannons were formidable defenses, and he did not want to face them. By capturing the French government, they could force a surrender and end the battle before it began.
General Sharp had arrived in London on a plane. He immediately moved the Allied Command Center to another large base. Several Gap Generators were put up so they could hide from Soviet satellites and spy planes. The first of the three convoys would be arriving and their cargo unloaded. III Corp was a powerful force, and the men and women in it had flown over. Currently, staff officers were setting up. Sharp had a low rank for a joint force commander, but the British government had no choice but to give him the command. They could not allow the Soviets to get a foothold on England. That would end any hopes of winning the war. Or would it? The Chronosphere could very well turn the tide again in this war. However, the Soviets had captured Professor Einstein, and taken all of his files. How long before the Soviets also had their Chronosphere? He didn't dwell on that too much. He had work to do.
Grizzly Tanks were parked in the base along with several IFVs. A pity that there were no other heavy tank units, but Allied forces had opted for a faster, less powerful tank, and obviously cheaper battle tank. No surprise there. Several Nighthawk helicopters moved in and landed, unloading the staff officers. They first had to set up camp.
The sound of an airplane overhead surprised the soldiers on duty in Paris. They looked up and saw a dozen airplanes. Just then, three Kirov airships appeared and started dropping bombs on the antiaircraft batteries. The Patriot missile batteries fired, but the Kirovs were too heavily armored. Paratroops dropped from the planes and landed. The Conscripts opened fire on the civilians and killed dozens of them. They moved towards the Eiffel Tower. A team of engineers were dropped with the Tesla unit and followed several Tesla Troopers. There were pretty close to the Tower. Civilians rushed out, fleeing the area. The engineers got in the elevator with five of the Tesla Troopers. The others secured the area. After a few minutes, they got to the top and the engineers set the unit. Electricity poured out of the suits of the Tesla Troopers and powered up the unit. Suddenly, a massive electric bolt struck a Grizzly Tank headed towards the Tower. It was vaporized. Another bolt lashed out, destroying a group of GIs. Now Allied troops were trying to get the hell out of there with the civilians. Several Chinook helicopters appeared and landed. Components for the Physic Beacon were unloaded by the engineers on board. In a matter of minutes, they had set up the Beacon. The remaining Tesla Troopers started powering the Beacon. It activated.
The civilians, soldiers, and other people across the city started getting headaches. They started losing concentration. Finally, after a few minutes, most were transformed into loyal members of the Soviet Empire. Those that had managed to keep their mind free were killed by the now mind- controlled populace. The French government sent out orders for all soldiers to stop fighting and to surrender. This caused so much confusion that the Soviets were able to move in and seize control. France was taken, and only England stood in their way before an invasion of the United States.
"That doesn't make sense," said Sharp, "Why did the French government just surrender? I mean, they had a large standing army, and would have seriously hindered Soviet forces. At least long enough for us to get organized and launch a counterattack."
"Intelligence believes it is because of this," said Lieutenant Eva. She brought up overheads and other pictures of the Physic Beacon. "It is called the Physic Beacon. It seems that this piece of equipment has the ability to control the minds of others."
"Shit," said Sharp, "So that's how they disabled the nuclear arsenals."
"I'd presume so sir," said Eva.
"We're in danger here," said Sharp, "Is XI Corp still at sea?"
"They are halfway," reported Eva.
"Turn them around. IX Corp too. And send the soldiers back to the States. XI Corp stays here. But we can't risk losing all that equipment to mind- control."
"Sir, we need those units-"
"No," said Sharp, cutting her off, "What we need is an army that can fight back at home. Europe is almost a lost cause. I'd give the rest of the mainland a few days at best before they all surrender to the Soviets. As for England, they don't have the forces to fight off an invasion, or the Soviets could just starve them. XI Corp stays here for now. We need to see how this plays out."
"Yes sir," said Eva, "But this isn't going to make Washington or London very happy."
"My suggestion would be to get the British government out of London," said Sharp, "The Soviets could try that same stunt they pulled in Paris."
"Understood sir."
"A very good job, Comrade General," said Yuri.
"Thank you, Comrade Minister."
"General Vladimir was right about you. Now, let's get down to other business. The Israelis are giving our forces in Egypt trouble. We have a nuclear missile site near Cairo which can launch missiles to Jerusalem. That we will do in short time. However, we have another base about half a mile away. It is a research base. The Israeli military is mounting an attack against us there. I want you to defend those two bases. We need two hours before the missiles are ready for launch. Defend our forces until then."
"Yes Comrade Minister."
The link terminated and Chekov prepared to go to Cairo. Well, not really.
"I'm not sure you should have done this General," said Dugan.
"Mr. President, it was either this or let the Soviets take control of our forces," said Sharp.
"England is our ally, and the only place we could launch an attack against the Soviets," said Dugan, "We need to make sure that it doesn't fall."
"Mr. President, we may not be able to keep that from happening. I'm getting reports from Intelligence that indicts that the Soviets have tore down the Eiffel Tower and are using that location to build what they call a Physic Amplifier. You know what the Physic Beacon did to Paris. That Physic Amplifier could very well do the same thing to all of Europe."
"My God," said Dugan.
"I'm requesting permission to at least get my troops out of here," said Sharp, "We have more equipment, though we're certainly going to try to get it out too. The British government also wants to get out of here. They'll most likely go to Canada. However, I want to get back to the States and prepare some kind of plan."
Dugan thought this over. Finally, he nodded. "Permission granted. Get your ass back here General. We can't afford losing you too."
The research base in Egypt was actually doing some interesting things. It seems that Einstein had developed Prism technology. There were two Prism Towers that they were testing. The first tower amplified the power of the second, and the second blew up an Apocalypse Tank in one shot. Such a powerful weapon. And they were developing a sort of Prism Wall using a combination of Tesla and Prism technology. Now this would be very useful for base defense. Chekov looked over the base again. It was second in line to actually be attack. If the Israeli military managed to get through the first base, which was highly unlikely. The Prism Towers were already in use and they were built around both bases. Combined with the Tesla Coils, the bases were nearly impenetrable. Flak Cannons would take care of an air assault. He waited for the Israelis to start their foolish attack.
End of Chapter 3
I'm pretty sure this is the last chapter I'll be able to update for about two weeks. But ah well, what can I do? R+R.
Z98