Debt of Honor
Chapter 7
War
Top Secret
Central Intelligence Agency
Langley, Virginia
From: Director of Central Intelligence
Subject: Chinese and Taiwanese Relations (Memorandum #167)
To: The President of the United States. Room 001. 1600 Pennsylvania Drive. Washington D.C.
By Courier
In compliance with the Presidential Memorandum to the Director, Subject: "Chinese and Taiwanese Relations" dated 16 October 1996, the following information is furnished:
(Reliability Scale Five) (From CIA Taipei, Taiwan) Chinese aircraft carrier Luda 166 DDG was photographed by reconnaissance plane moving southwest from coast towards Taiwan. The course Luda is taking will bring it within four miles of American ships.
(Reliability Scale Three) (From Unnamed source) Chinese Nuclear Submarine Han 404 SSN Chang Zheng Si Hao was reported to have left its docks late last night. Course has not been predicted.
(3) (Reliability Scale Four) (From CIA Taipei, Taiwan) Chinese fighter J7-D was photographed using drag chute at air force base along Chinese coast. Seven other J-7D's were photographed landing at base.
Howard O'Connor
Top Secret
===============
Top Secret
Central Intelligence Agency
Langley, Virginia
From: Director of Central Intelligence
Subject: The War of the two China's (Memorandum #1)
To: President of the United States. Situation Room, White House
By Courier
In compliance with the Presidential Memorandum to the Director, Subject: "The War of the Two China's" dated 7 November 1996, the following information is furnished:
(Reliability Scale Five) (From CIA Taipei, Taiwan) It has been reported that several invasion sized divisions have been relocated from their stations to bases that line the coast, facing the Taiwan Straight.
(2) (Reliability Scale Five) (From CIA Taipei, Taiwan) President Lee has declared that if one Chinese soldier's foot touches Taiwan's soil, an open declaration of war will pass between the two China's.
(3) (Reliability Scale Three) (From CIA Beijing, China) Premier Renyang has stated that China is committed to invading Taiwan and nothing will keep them from taking what is rightfully theirs.
Howard O'Connor
Top Secret
===============
The problem of explaining why Ryoga, Akari, Akane, and Ranma were moving out was solved by Ishii.
He explained to the Tendo and Saotome family that, in order for Ranma and Ryoga to be able to have control over Saotome, Hibiki, Inafune, and Portet were if they had their own private residence.
Soun had taken the news like Akane had expected him to. He started to cry but it didn't last as long as Akane had thought it would.
Nodoka had smiled in knowing way and told the four of them that she hoped they would remember drop by the Tendo home. Akane assured her, saying that they would still be using the Dojo quite frequently.
Genma had been upset as well but his was over the fact that he would no longer be able to spar with his son in the morning. It was made worse when Happosai said that he would be glad to spar with Soun and Genma every morning.
Happosai had asked Akane and Akari if they were going to need any help packing their underwear. This caused a reaction of having Ranma and Ryoga descend on the martial arts master and boot him from the room.
Kasumi appeared to be sad but she put on her usually cheerful face and asked them that if they wanted she would come by and help them with the housekeeping duties. Ishii told her afterward that the house came with a staff of a maid and cook.
Nabiki hadn't reacted much, other than to say that she would turn Akane's room into her own private office.
It had been left up to Ishii, Ryoga, and Ranma to explain what was happening to the other Nerima inhabitants. The conversations had gone far better than either Ranma or Ryoga had expected. Ukyo had reacted a little saddened, but she didn't do anything other than to say she would drop by some time. Shampoo had been a big shock for Ranma, considering that the Amazon woman didn't try and glomp him when he walked in. And she didn't even react other than to say she would need his address and that she, like Ukyo, would drop by some time.
Neither Ranma nor Ryoga had much to move into the house, so they were able to take all their worldly possessions with them in the car Ishii had gotten for them. Akane and Akari on the other hand needed a moving van for their items. Akari's possessions from the farm had arrived earlier that day and Akane had taken everything that wasn't nailed down in her room with her.
They arrived at the house, which was a total thirty minute drive from the Dojo, around five thirty. There was a large banner across the door that read, "My Condolences". Ishii explained to them that he had called Phillip in the hospital the other day and told him about their moving.
The information that Phillip was in the hospital came as quite a surprise to the four of them. Ishii asked them if they had watched any type of news program in the past few days. They told him they hadn't and Ishii led them inside. He switched on CNN and pointed at the screen when they entered the room.
*The assassination attempt on Taiwanese President Lee was stopped by an American. This news has been confirmed by the American embassy in Taipei. We now show you the footage that was recorded by a news station. We warn you, this footage is very graphic and should not be viewed by younger viewers.*
The screen changed to show a precession of cars driving down a road, there was two loud noises and a huge flash. The ground in front of some pedestrians exploded and three people were sent flying into the air. A body fell from the window where the flash had come from. The cameraman spun around and caught sight as the cars sped down the street only to be met by three men holding RPG's. A black man was seen running down the center of the street as the three men fired at the car.
"Oh my god!" Akari exclaimed as she saw the car get hit by two of the shots.
A round went wide and hit the ground near the black man and catapulted him off of his feet. He hit the sidewalk and lay there for a moment. Then he lifted himself off the ground and ran towards the burning cars. He wrenched open the back door to the car and pulled a body from it. He turned and took a few steps when the car he pulled the body from exploded. The black man was sent flying again and he hit the ground, still holding the body he had pulled from the car.
What followed made everyone retch.
The body the black man was holding suddenly burst into flames and so did the clothes the man was wearing. He stripped off his clothes and quickly put the flames out that covered the body. He then emptied his stomach and tried to do so again before the picture changed back to the CNN newsroom.
*The soldiers name has not been released, in fact, it has been reported that the soldier and his team were immediately flown from Taipei to the American carrier ship, the Independence.*
Ishii pointed the remote at the television and pushed the off button. When he turned to look at the others, there faces were ashen white.
"That was Phillip?" Ranma asked quietly.
"Yes, he and a team of Green Berets had been sent to Taiwan to protect President Lee from an assassination attempt. They are now on the carrier group Independence."
"Poor Phillip," Akari said softly.
Ishii chuckled. "Actually, when I called him, he was in high spirits. Apparently, some of the benefits of saving the President of a country by doing a John Wayne are that you never have to worry about buying a drink."
The others chuckled expectedly.
"And he has apparently met a nurse and he is quite taken with her," Ishii told them. "And she seems to be the same towards him."
"Is he going to be able to come back here any time soon?" Ranma asked.
Ishii shook his head. "He's probably going to have a lot of political stuff to get through before he even has the chance to think about getting away for awhile."
"Oh well, at least the guy's happy," Ryoga said.
Ishii nodded his agreement. "So, you guys just about ready to finish unpacking?"
"You bet I am," Ranma said. "But I have the feeling that Akane and Akari are dreading it."
Akane took a swing at Ranma, who dodged it. "Shut up sweetie, because now, you get to help Akari and I unpack."
Ranma faked playing dead and slowly crawled to the door. Akane called after him. "If you think your getting away Ranma, you've got another thing coming!"
Akane then ran after Ranma as he bolted out the front door.
Ishii turned and looked at Ryoga and Akari. They were laughing.
"Are they always like this?"
They nodded.
Ishii sighed. "Well, I guess I can always sound proof my room," he said and walked upstairs.
===============
The Chang Zheng Si Hao was seventy meters deep in the water. It had departed from Macau, Guangzhou earlier that week. The Si Hao had then made its way towards the Taiwan Straight.
Chang Zheng Si Hao was the fourth of its kind. China had made two previous nuclear submarines, but they had been very unreliable. The Si Hao had been put to sea in 1991, but had undergone some changes since its first voyage. The ship was now 8 meters longer and had been fitted with two SSN tubes aft of the sail. It was the newest thing the PLA had attempted to manufacture, and they had not done a very good job.
The design of the Si Hao had been copied from the Soviet Kilo class of submarines. The ship had a turbo-electric drive, which was outdated by more than a decade by the Americans. The sonar the ship used was Trout Cheek, DUUX-5 passive array. The ship held approximately 75 sailors, which made for a tight fit.
The captain of the Si Hao, Ao Shuangrui, had been in the Chinese Navy for twenty years. He had commanded the fleets "kilo" class ships during their test runs, and had been given command of the Si Hao as a result.
Shuangrui had not been surprised when he had docked in the harbors of Macau, and saw that he would be shipped right back out. What did surprise him was that he had been given a political officer to take aboard for the journey as well. His orders had been sealed and placed in a safe that was locked in his quarters. He had one key, and the political officer had the other. Both keys were required to open the safe.
After debarking from Macau, Shuangrui had opened his orders.
They specifically explained where he and his crew would be heading and what they would be doing. They were about to start a war with the Americans.
===============
The carrier group Nimitz was slowly moving across the Taiwan Straight at about three knots. They had been on standby orders for a week once they arrived in the China Sea.
The Enterprise, one of the more beautiful ships in the American Navy, was two miles west from the lead carrier, Nimitz.
There orders had been to expect that there might enemies in the area, though the sailors aboard were wondering when Asia had become an enemy. It was because of that that the sonar screens were being observed every few minutes by the Commander Officer of the Enterprise. It was 1746 hours when the Commanding Officer walked into the sonar room and observed the young sailors that manned the controls.
A petite seaman, who was in fact a woman of the age of nineteen, gaped at her screen when a blip appeared.
"Oh shit!" she shouted.
The Commanding Officer, who wasn't used to hearing young women swear in such a manner, immediately went over to the young sailor.
"What is it Georgia?" he asked as he peeked over her shoulder.
"There's a whole bunch of ships on the sonar sir," she said, pointing at her screen.
He peered at the screen and saw the blip that signified an object that was at least over forty feet long. He straightened up.
"Hmm, this is probably just a training force," he said, mostly to himself. "Keep an eye on her and I'll inform Nimitz."
===============
Admiral Shuangrui was sitting down in his command chair. He was feeling happy for the first time in awhile. He had not been in combat before, and he was going to get his first taste of it, and get to take out the American ships. Once he fired his four Mark 50 antisubmarine torpedoes, he would then do a quick maneuver, which had been created by the Germans, where he would turn sharply to the right, and the other three Chinese destroyers would do the same, the aftermost first. In a matter of seconds, the Chinese would be turned and heading in the opposite direction.
The other Chinese ships were spaced out so they could pick off other American targets before retreating into the ensuing confusion.
"Bearing to Target Two is three-seven-zero. Target Four is bearing zero-six-zero, solution Light," the petty officer reported.
The ops officer, sliding into his seat, turned the key in the enable- switch lock. He flipped the cover off the button for the port-side array and pressed it.
The three-tube mounts on portside and starboard snapped quickly outboard to forty degrees off the center line. The hemispherical covers on the six tubes popped off. Then the torpedoes were launched by compressed air, left and right, about thirteen seconds apart. The propellers had been already turning when they had been ejected, and had control wires that connected them to Si Hao's CIC (Combat Information Center).
===============
"Fuck!" the petite seaman said when the flash of multiple torpedoes being fired flashed on her sonar screen.
The Commanding Officer had just returned from the bridge and he was instantly beside the sonar man. He didn't ask what was wrong; he just looked at her screen.
===============
A lookout on the Johnny Reb saw the torpedoes as well. He called excitingly to his commanding officer and pointed to the waters. It was still light out.
The CAG didn't reply, he had seen the torpedoes with his binoculars. He had also seen that the front of the tubes were black not gray, and that the weather covers were off.
Without looking, the CAG ripped the phones from the senior lookout.
"Bridge, this is CAG. Torpedoes in the water! Torpedoes inbound from starboard quarter!"
He trained his glasses on the water, looking for any signs of the torpedoes, not that it mattered. He swore violently as alarms started going on all around the ship.
===============
"What do we do now?" the sonar man asked as the CO ran past him.
"A couple of Hail Mary's," the CO replied.
He scrapped his knee badly getting to the bridge, and he was bleeding through a large tear in his trousers when he got to there.
There had been three other firings from the Chinese air carrier group. John Stennis was turning hard to port now. The desk rumbled with the sudden increase in the power of the engines. They needed to move fast, but the ship weighed over ninety-thousand tons and it needed a long time to turn. Johnny Reb was just beginning to turn now, and it was leaning hard to port as well.
"Stream the Nixie!" the OOD's voice carrier over the loudspeakers.
===============
The three Mark 50 antisubmarine torpedoes that were heading towards Enterprise were small instruments of destruction that were capable of punching deadly holes in the hulls of submarines or aircraft carriers. They were spaced about ninety meters apart and were traveling at fifty-five knots, each guided by a thin insulated wire. They were traveling almost five times as fast as their targets, which guaranteed a hit. The Americans maneuvering attempt was only offering the ideal overtake angle to the torpedoes. The torpedoes closed in on their targets. Eight hundred meters, seven hundred, six.
The sonar screens of those aboard the Chinese ships were immediately scrambled and into a confusing array as the American Nixie decoy were used. It mimicked the ultra-sonic frequencies of the torpedo head-seekers. But the Mark 50 was a contact weapon, and when controlled with the wire, they could ignore the acoustical interference and continue on their paths. The American ships didn't even have a chance.
===============
When the torpedoes first contacted, it didn't seem that bad, the sound was deafening, but the disturbance caused was minimal. The wake sent some water over the decks of the Johnny Reb, which made the officers think that the torpedoes had exploded in Johnny Reb's wake.
The first torpedo had detonated on the number-two propeller, the inbound positive shaft. The force immediately ripped three of the shafts five screws off, making the propeller unbalanced, while it was turning at one hundred thirty RPM. The physical forces involved were massive and ripped the shaft fittings and tore the skegs that held the entire propulsion system in place. The aftermost portion of the shaft allay became flooded, and water started entering the ship through her vulnerable part.
The ship became dead in the water, a navel term that meant the ship had lost all power in its engines and essentially, became a floating pile of metal. The Johnny Reb was now slowly floating across the surface of the Taiwan Straight, and was now taking on water at an alarming rate.
One half of the ships crew perished when the other two torpedoes struck the hull of the Johnny Reb. The sailors were thrown from the ship as metal and fire ripped through the hulls of the ship. What happened to the John Stennis was much worse.
Like most large warships, John Stennis was steam-powered. In her case two nuclear reactors generated power by boiling water directly. That steam went into a heat exchanger where other water was boiled and piped aft to a high-pressure turbine. The steam hit the turbine blades, causing them to turn much like the vanes of a windmill, which is all the turbine really was; the steam was then piped aft to a low-pressure turbine to make use of the residual energy. The turbines had efficient turning rates, far faster than the propeller could attain, however, and to lower the shaft speed to something the ship could really use, there was a set of reduction gears, essentially a shipboard version of an automobile transmission, located between them. The finely machined barrel-shaped wheels in that bit of marine hardware were the most delicate element of the ship's drivetrain, and the blast energy from the warhead had traveled straight up the shaft, jamming the wheels in a manner that they were not allowed to absorb. The added asymmetrical writhing of the unbalanced shaft rapidly completed the destruction of the entire Number 2 drivetrain. Sailors were leaping from their feet with the noise even before the second warhead hit Number 3.
The explosion was on the outer edge of the starboard inboard propeller, and the collateral damage took half a blade off Number 4. Damage to Number 3 was identical with Number 2. The third torpedo finished off the destruction.
The Commanding Officer of the John Stennis had been running to the bridge when the torpedoes had struck, he was thrown off balance and he fell over the side of the upper decks and crashed to the lower decks. He slowly climbed to his feet and watched in horror as the third torpedo struck the underside of the Johnny Reb.
The XO (executive officer) of the Johnny Reb had been running across the lower decks when he saw the CO fall. He had started to sprint across the deck when the shrapnel from the torpedoes and the ruined hulls of the ship had ripped through the deck. A piece of the Number Three propeller sliced through the XO's neck, severing half of the tendons in his neck and another shrapnel piece struck him on the waist, ripping through his stomach and other vital organs.
The explosions had destroyed the walls that helped contain the ships fuel. The fire and heat contacted the large amounts of fuel a ship the size of the Johnny Reb contained and the following explosion was even worse than when the torpedoes had struck.
===============
The Nimitz had been traveling about five mile ahead of the other ships in the Carrier Group, and it had been spared the merciless attack from behind by the Chinese ships.
The Commanding Officer of the Nimitz, Gary Cleat, had heard the distress signal the Enterprise had dispatched before it had been sunk.
"Are the Chinese ships reporting anything?" Admiral Cleat asked his XO.
"No sir, they are turning and heading back in the opposite direction."
"Then shoot the fuckers!" Cleat responded furiously.
The Nimitz fired seven Mark 50 antisubmarine torpedoes and dispatched three Sikorsky helicopters to observe the area and see if anyone survived in the other American ships.
===============
The Si Hao had been moving at thirty knots when the sonar man had reported the Nimitz's torpedoes.
Admiral Shuangrui had ordered the ship to fire off counter measures immediately but recalled the order when he realized that the torpedoes had not picked a target yet.
One minute later the sonar man reported that the torpedoes had impacted the Fang Shi, the lead carrier ship, and had sunk it.
The Chang Zheng Si Hao had escaped the battle.
===============
There had been no survivors from the wrecks of the Johnny Reb or the John Stennis. The Enterprise had been able to cart off about forty sailors before the ship had sunk to the ocean floor.
It would be weeks before the final tallies of all the dead had been determined.
===============
The news of the American ships sinking was given to the American public during the morning of the following day.
===============
A TWX had been sent out after the declaration of war by the President of the United States:
The President of the United States declared that all communications with the People's Republic of China had been terminated and that America would now be joining the war alongside of their allies. Canada and Britain declared their support of the American decision and offered their help immediately thereafter.
The United States presented their information to the UN and was granted the full support of the UN in the war against the People's Republic of China.
===============
Top Secret/Two China's
Pentagon
From: Taiwan Minister of War
To: President of the United States
By Courier
The People's Republic of China invaded Taiwan at 1768 hours on 12 November 1996. PRC troops entered the city of Changhua and took control of the city. No reports of casualties have been reported at this time.
Top Secret/Two China's
===============
TWX: America and China
American bombers attacked the military installations lining the Eastern coast of China. No American planes were shot down.
More attacks have been designated.
===============
Author's Notes: I want to start this off by thanking some people:
Bill, for giving me his time and patience for my grilling him on the type of Navy situations that exist in this story.
The Naval Institute, for allowing me the access to the war games they played against the Japanese last spring. The war games I observed were the inspiration for the military action that takes place in this chapter.
My wife, for forgiving me when I left the house for the month that I was away on the Carrier Independence.
Okay, I just wanted to get that over with. I hope that you all liked this chapter.
I'm going to be steering the direction of this story back to Ranma and the other Nerimians after a few chapters. I just want to create the atmosphere that is usually created when two countries, as powerful as America and China are, fight each other.
Thanks to everyone that has read the story and a special thanks to everyone that has written a review.
Top Secret
Central Intelligence Agency
Langley, Virginia
From: Director of Central Intelligence
Subject: Chinese and Taiwanese Relations (Memorandum #167)
To: The President of the United States. Room 001. 1600 Pennsylvania Drive. Washington D.C.
By Courier
In compliance with the Presidential Memorandum to the Director, Subject: "Chinese and Taiwanese Relations" dated 16 October 1996, the following information is furnished:
(Reliability Scale Five) (From CIA Taipei, Taiwan) Chinese aircraft carrier Luda 166 DDG was photographed by reconnaissance plane moving southwest from coast towards Taiwan. The course Luda is taking will bring it within four miles of American ships.
(Reliability Scale Three) (From Unnamed source) Chinese Nuclear Submarine Han 404 SSN Chang Zheng Si Hao was reported to have left its docks late last night. Course has not been predicted.
(3) (Reliability Scale Four) (From CIA Taipei, Taiwan) Chinese fighter J7-D was photographed using drag chute at air force base along Chinese coast. Seven other J-7D's were photographed landing at base.
Howard O'Connor
Top Secret
===============
Top Secret
Central Intelligence Agency
Langley, Virginia
From: Director of Central Intelligence
Subject: The War of the two China's (Memorandum #1)
To: President of the United States. Situation Room, White House
By Courier
In compliance with the Presidential Memorandum to the Director, Subject: "The War of the Two China's" dated 7 November 1996, the following information is furnished:
(Reliability Scale Five) (From CIA Taipei, Taiwan) It has been reported that several invasion sized divisions have been relocated from their stations to bases that line the coast, facing the Taiwan Straight.
(2) (Reliability Scale Five) (From CIA Taipei, Taiwan) President Lee has declared that if one Chinese soldier's foot touches Taiwan's soil, an open declaration of war will pass between the two China's.
(3) (Reliability Scale Three) (From CIA Beijing, China) Premier Renyang has stated that China is committed to invading Taiwan and nothing will keep them from taking what is rightfully theirs.
Howard O'Connor
Top Secret
===============
The problem of explaining why Ryoga, Akari, Akane, and Ranma were moving out was solved by Ishii.
He explained to the Tendo and Saotome family that, in order for Ranma and Ryoga to be able to have control over Saotome, Hibiki, Inafune, and Portet were if they had their own private residence.
Soun had taken the news like Akane had expected him to. He started to cry but it didn't last as long as Akane had thought it would.
Nodoka had smiled in knowing way and told the four of them that she hoped they would remember drop by the Tendo home. Akane assured her, saying that they would still be using the Dojo quite frequently.
Genma had been upset as well but his was over the fact that he would no longer be able to spar with his son in the morning. It was made worse when Happosai said that he would be glad to spar with Soun and Genma every morning.
Happosai had asked Akane and Akari if they were going to need any help packing their underwear. This caused a reaction of having Ranma and Ryoga descend on the martial arts master and boot him from the room.
Kasumi appeared to be sad but she put on her usually cheerful face and asked them that if they wanted she would come by and help them with the housekeeping duties. Ishii told her afterward that the house came with a staff of a maid and cook.
Nabiki hadn't reacted much, other than to say that she would turn Akane's room into her own private office.
It had been left up to Ishii, Ryoga, and Ranma to explain what was happening to the other Nerima inhabitants. The conversations had gone far better than either Ranma or Ryoga had expected. Ukyo had reacted a little saddened, but she didn't do anything other than to say she would drop by some time. Shampoo had been a big shock for Ranma, considering that the Amazon woman didn't try and glomp him when he walked in. And she didn't even react other than to say she would need his address and that she, like Ukyo, would drop by some time.
Neither Ranma nor Ryoga had much to move into the house, so they were able to take all their worldly possessions with them in the car Ishii had gotten for them. Akane and Akari on the other hand needed a moving van for their items. Akari's possessions from the farm had arrived earlier that day and Akane had taken everything that wasn't nailed down in her room with her.
They arrived at the house, which was a total thirty minute drive from the Dojo, around five thirty. There was a large banner across the door that read, "My Condolences". Ishii explained to them that he had called Phillip in the hospital the other day and told him about their moving.
The information that Phillip was in the hospital came as quite a surprise to the four of them. Ishii asked them if they had watched any type of news program in the past few days. They told him they hadn't and Ishii led them inside. He switched on CNN and pointed at the screen when they entered the room.
*The assassination attempt on Taiwanese President Lee was stopped by an American. This news has been confirmed by the American embassy in Taipei. We now show you the footage that was recorded by a news station. We warn you, this footage is very graphic and should not be viewed by younger viewers.*
The screen changed to show a precession of cars driving down a road, there was two loud noises and a huge flash. The ground in front of some pedestrians exploded and three people were sent flying into the air. A body fell from the window where the flash had come from. The cameraman spun around and caught sight as the cars sped down the street only to be met by three men holding RPG's. A black man was seen running down the center of the street as the three men fired at the car.
"Oh my god!" Akari exclaimed as she saw the car get hit by two of the shots.
A round went wide and hit the ground near the black man and catapulted him off of his feet. He hit the sidewalk and lay there for a moment. Then he lifted himself off the ground and ran towards the burning cars. He wrenched open the back door to the car and pulled a body from it. He turned and took a few steps when the car he pulled the body from exploded. The black man was sent flying again and he hit the ground, still holding the body he had pulled from the car.
What followed made everyone retch.
The body the black man was holding suddenly burst into flames and so did the clothes the man was wearing. He stripped off his clothes and quickly put the flames out that covered the body. He then emptied his stomach and tried to do so again before the picture changed back to the CNN newsroom.
*The soldiers name has not been released, in fact, it has been reported that the soldier and his team were immediately flown from Taipei to the American carrier ship, the Independence.*
Ishii pointed the remote at the television and pushed the off button. When he turned to look at the others, there faces were ashen white.
"That was Phillip?" Ranma asked quietly.
"Yes, he and a team of Green Berets had been sent to Taiwan to protect President Lee from an assassination attempt. They are now on the carrier group Independence."
"Poor Phillip," Akari said softly.
Ishii chuckled. "Actually, when I called him, he was in high spirits. Apparently, some of the benefits of saving the President of a country by doing a John Wayne are that you never have to worry about buying a drink."
The others chuckled expectedly.
"And he has apparently met a nurse and he is quite taken with her," Ishii told them. "And she seems to be the same towards him."
"Is he going to be able to come back here any time soon?" Ranma asked.
Ishii shook his head. "He's probably going to have a lot of political stuff to get through before he even has the chance to think about getting away for awhile."
"Oh well, at least the guy's happy," Ryoga said.
Ishii nodded his agreement. "So, you guys just about ready to finish unpacking?"
"You bet I am," Ranma said. "But I have the feeling that Akane and Akari are dreading it."
Akane took a swing at Ranma, who dodged it. "Shut up sweetie, because now, you get to help Akari and I unpack."
Ranma faked playing dead and slowly crawled to the door. Akane called after him. "If you think your getting away Ranma, you've got another thing coming!"
Akane then ran after Ranma as he bolted out the front door.
Ishii turned and looked at Ryoga and Akari. They were laughing.
"Are they always like this?"
They nodded.
Ishii sighed. "Well, I guess I can always sound proof my room," he said and walked upstairs.
===============
The Chang Zheng Si Hao was seventy meters deep in the water. It had departed from Macau, Guangzhou earlier that week. The Si Hao had then made its way towards the Taiwan Straight.
Chang Zheng Si Hao was the fourth of its kind. China had made two previous nuclear submarines, but they had been very unreliable. The Si Hao had been put to sea in 1991, but had undergone some changes since its first voyage. The ship was now 8 meters longer and had been fitted with two SSN tubes aft of the sail. It was the newest thing the PLA had attempted to manufacture, and they had not done a very good job.
The design of the Si Hao had been copied from the Soviet Kilo class of submarines. The ship had a turbo-electric drive, which was outdated by more than a decade by the Americans. The sonar the ship used was Trout Cheek, DUUX-5 passive array. The ship held approximately 75 sailors, which made for a tight fit.
The captain of the Si Hao, Ao Shuangrui, had been in the Chinese Navy for twenty years. He had commanded the fleets "kilo" class ships during their test runs, and had been given command of the Si Hao as a result.
Shuangrui had not been surprised when he had docked in the harbors of Macau, and saw that he would be shipped right back out. What did surprise him was that he had been given a political officer to take aboard for the journey as well. His orders had been sealed and placed in a safe that was locked in his quarters. He had one key, and the political officer had the other. Both keys were required to open the safe.
After debarking from Macau, Shuangrui had opened his orders.
They specifically explained where he and his crew would be heading and what they would be doing. They were about to start a war with the Americans.
===============
The carrier group Nimitz was slowly moving across the Taiwan Straight at about three knots. They had been on standby orders for a week once they arrived in the China Sea.
The Enterprise, one of the more beautiful ships in the American Navy, was two miles west from the lead carrier, Nimitz.
There orders had been to expect that there might enemies in the area, though the sailors aboard were wondering when Asia had become an enemy. It was because of that that the sonar screens were being observed every few minutes by the Commander Officer of the Enterprise. It was 1746 hours when the Commanding Officer walked into the sonar room and observed the young sailors that manned the controls.
A petite seaman, who was in fact a woman of the age of nineteen, gaped at her screen when a blip appeared.
"Oh shit!" she shouted.
The Commanding Officer, who wasn't used to hearing young women swear in such a manner, immediately went over to the young sailor.
"What is it Georgia?" he asked as he peeked over her shoulder.
"There's a whole bunch of ships on the sonar sir," she said, pointing at her screen.
He peered at the screen and saw the blip that signified an object that was at least over forty feet long. He straightened up.
"Hmm, this is probably just a training force," he said, mostly to himself. "Keep an eye on her and I'll inform Nimitz."
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Admiral Shuangrui was sitting down in his command chair. He was feeling happy for the first time in awhile. He had not been in combat before, and he was going to get his first taste of it, and get to take out the American ships. Once he fired his four Mark 50 antisubmarine torpedoes, he would then do a quick maneuver, which had been created by the Germans, where he would turn sharply to the right, and the other three Chinese destroyers would do the same, the aftermost first. In a matter of seconds, the Chinese would be turned and heading in the opposite direction.
The other Chinese ships were spaced out so they could pick off other American targets before retreating into the ensuing confusion.
"Bearing to Target Two is three-seven-zero. Target Four is bearing zero-six-zero, solution Light," the petty officer reported.
The ops officer, sliding into his seat, turned the key in the enable- switch lock. He flipped the cover off the button for the port-side array and pressed it.
The three-tube mounts on portside and starboard snapped quickly outboard to forty degrees off the center line. The hemispherical covers on the six tubes popped off. Then the torpedoes were launched by compressed air, left and right, about thirteen seconds apart. The propellers had been already turning when they had been ejected, and had control wires that connected them to Si Hao's CIC (Combat Information Center).
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"Fuck!" the petite seaman said when the flash of multiple torpedoes being fired flashed on her sonar screen.
The Commanding Officer had just returned from the bridge and he was instantly beside the sonar man. He didn't ask what was wrong; he just looked at her screen.
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A lookout on the Johnny Reb saw the torpedoes as well. He called excitingly to his commanding officer and pointed to the waters. It was still light out.
The CAG didn't reply, he had seen the torpedoes with his binoculars. He had also seen that the front of the tubes were black not gray, and that the weather covers were off.
Without looking, the CAG ripped the phones from the senior lookout.
"Bridge, this is CAG. Torpedoes in the water! Torpedoes inbound from starboard quarter!"
He trained his glasses on the water, looking for any signs of the torpedoes, not that it mattered. He swore violently as alarms started going on all around the ship.
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"What do we do now?" the sonar man asked as the CO ran past him.
"A couple of Hail Mary's," the CO replied.
He scrapped his knee badly getting to the bridge, and he was bleeding through a large tear in his trousers when he got to there.
There had been three other firings from the Chinese air carrier group. John Stennis was turning hard to port now. The desk rumbled with the sudden increase in the power of the engines. They needed to move fast, but the ship weighed over ninety-thousand tons and it needed a long time to turn. Johnny Reb was just beginning to turn now, and it was leaning hard to port as well.
"Stream the Nixie!" the OOD's voice carrier over the loudspeakers.
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The three Mark 50 antisubmarine torpedoes that were heading towards Enterprise were small instruments of destruction that were capable of punching deadly holes in the hulls of submarines or aircraft carriers. They were spaced about ninety meters apart and were traveling at fifty-five knots, each guided by a thin insulated wire. They were traveling almost five times as fast as their targets, which guaranteed a hit. The Americans maneuvering attempt was only offering the ideal overtake angle to the torpedoes. The torpedoes closed in on their targets. Eight hundred meters, seven hundred, six.
The sonar screens of those aboard the Chinese ships were immediately scrambled and into a confusing array as the American Nixie decoy were used. It mimicked the ultra-sonic frequencies of the torpedo head-seekers. But the Mark 50 was a contact weapon, and when controlled with the wire, they could ignore the acoustical interference and continue on their paths. The American ships didn't even have a chance.
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When the torpedoes first contacted, it didn't seem that bad, the sound was deafening, but the disturbance caused was minimal. The wake sent some water over the decks of the Johnny Reb, which made the officers think that the torpedoes had exploded in Johnny Reb's wake.
The first torpedo had detonated on the number-two propeller, the inbound positive shaft. The force immediately ripped three of the shafts five screws off, making the propeller unbalanced, while it was turning at one hundred thirty RPM. The physical forces involved were massive and ripped the shaft fittings and tore the skegs that held the entire propulsion system in place. The aftermost portion of the shaft allay became flooded, and water started entering the ship through her vulnerable part.
The ship became dead in the water, a navel term that meant the ship had lost all power in its engines and essentially, became a floating pile of metal. The Johnny Reb was now slowly floating across the surface of the Taiwan Straight, and was now taking on water at an alarming rate.
One half of the ships crew perished when the other two torpedoes struck the hull of the Johnny Reb. The sailors were thrown from the ship as metal and fire ripped through the hulls of the ship. What happened to the John Stennis was much worse.
Like most large warships, John Stennis was steam-powered. In her case two nuclear reactors generated power by boiling water directly. That steam went into a heat exchanger where other water was boiled and piped aft to a high-pressure turbine. The steam hit the turbine blades, causing them to turn much like the vanes of a windmill, which is all the turbine really was; the steam was then piped aft to a low-pressure turbine to make use of the residual energy. The turbines had efficient turning rates, far faster than the propeller could attain, however, and to lower the shaft speed to something the ship could really use, there was a set of reduction gears, essentially a shipboard version of an automobile transmission, located between them. The finely machined barrel-shaped wheels in that bit of marine hardware were the most delicate element of the ship's drivetrain, and the blast energy from the warhead had traveled straight up the shaft, jamming the wheels in a manner that they were not allowed to absorb. The added asymmetrical writhing of the unbalanced shaft rapidly completed the destruction of the entire Number 2 drivetrain. Sailors were leaping from their feet with the noise even before the second warhead hit Number 3.
The explosion was on the outer edge of the starboard inboard propeller, and the collateral damage took half a blade off Number 4. Damage to Number 3 was identical with Number 2. The third torpedo finished off the destruction.
The Commanding Officer of the John Stennis had been running to the bridge when the torpedoes had struck, he was thrown off balance and he fell over the side of the upper decks and crashed to the lower decks. He slowly climbed to his feet and watched in horror as the third torpedo struck the underside of the Johnny Reb.
The XO (executive officer) of the Johnny Reb had been running across the lower decks when he saw the CO fall. He had started to sprint across the deck when the shrapnel from the torpedoes and the ruined hulls of the ship had ripped through the deck. A piece of the Number Three propeller sliced through the XO's neck, severing half of the tendons in his neck and another shrapnel piece struck him on the waist, ripping through his stomach and other vital organs.
The explosions had destroyed the walls that helped contain the ships fuel. The fire and heat contacted the large amounts of fuel a ship the size of the Johnny Reb contained and the following explosion was even worse than when the torpedoes had struck.
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The Nimitz had been traveling about five mile ahead of the other ships in the Carrier Group, and it had been spared the merciless attack from behind by the Chinese ships.
The Commanding Officer of the Nimitz, Gary Cleat, had heard the distress signal the Enterprise had dispatched before it had been sunk.
"Are the Chinese ships reporting anything?" Admiral Cleat asked his XO.
"No sir, they are turning and heading back in the opposite direction."
"Then shoot the fuckers!" Cleat responded furiously.
The Nimitz fired seven Mark 50 antisubmarine torpedoes and dispatched three Sikorsky helicopters to observe the area and see if anyone survived in the other American ships.
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The Si Hao had been moving at thirty knots when the sonar man had reported the Nimitz's torpedoes.
Admiral Shuangrui had ordered the ship to fire off counter measures immediately but recalled the order when he realized that the torpedoes had not picked a target yet.
One minute later the sonar man reported that the torpedoes had impacted the Fang Shi, the lead carrier ship, and had sunk it.
The Chang Zheng Si Hao had escaped the battle.
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There had been no survivors from the wrecks of the Johnny Reb or the John Stennis. The Enterprise had been able to cart off about forty sailors before the ship had sunk to the ocean floor.
It would be weeks before the final tallies of all the dead had been determined.
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The news of the American ships sinking was given to the American public during the morning of the following day.
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A TWX had been sent out after the declaration of war by the President of the United States:
The President of the United States declared that all communications with the People's Republic of China had been terminated and that America would now be joining the war alongside of their allies. Canada and Britain declared their support of the American decision and offered their help immediately thereafter.
The United States presented their information to the UN and was granted the full support of the UN in the war against the People's Republic of China.
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Top Secret/Two China's
Pentagon
From: Taiwan Minister of War
To: President of the United States
By Courier
The People's Republic of China invaded Taiwan at 1768 hours on 12 November 1996. PRC troops entered the city of Changhua and took control of the city. No reports of casualties have been reported at this time.
Top Secret/Two China's
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TWX: America and China
American bombers attacked the military installations lining the Eastern coast of China. No American planes were shot down.
More attacks have been designated.
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Author's Notes: I want to start this off by thanking some people:
Bill, for giving me his time and patience for my grilling him on the type of Navy situations that exist in this story.
The Naval Institute, for allowing me the access to the war games they played against the Japanese last spring. The war games I observed were the inspiration for the military action that takes place in this chapter.
My wife, for forgiving me when I left the house for the month that I was away on the Carrier Independence.
Okay, I just wanted to get that over with. I hope that you all liked this chapter.
I'm going to be steering the direction of this story back to Ranma and the other Nerimians after a few chapters. I just want to create the atmosphere that is usually created when two countries, as powerful as America and China are, fight each other.
Thanks to everyone that has read the story and a special thanks to everyone that has written a review.