Until the End
Chapter 3
Conscription
The President of the United States took the podium in the White House press room and slowly gripped the edges of the podium. This did not escape the notice of the row of reporters, who had known that the President only did this when he was extremely angry about something. President Winnfield cleared his throat and regarded the reporters.
"As I'm sure you have all heard," the President began, "the emperor of Japan was assassinated early this morning while walking through the Imperial palace."
"I have agreed with my press officer to appear here today to answer your questions, though I would like to warn you that I have a very busy day ahead of me and I would appreciate it if you would be brief in your questions."
There was absolute silence for thirty seconds before the reporter from the Boston Globe stood up.
"Mr. President, have you had any contact with the Prime Minister of Japan?"
"Yes," President Winnfield nodded. "I called him half an hour before I arrived here and expressed my deepest sympathies and offered all American resources to catch the people that would so blatantly assassinate a peaceful man. He thanked me but did not ask for any American help at this time."
The next question was from the Washington Post.
"Do we have any idea who might have actually committed the assassination?"
"No, at the moment we have had absolutely no leads as of this moment but I'm sure that the Japanese will be able to narrow it down quite quickly."
The same reporter asked the next question.
"What of the reports that it was a member in the Japanese government that issued the order to have emperor Rimiru murdered?"
From the shock that registered on President Winnfield's face, the reporters could tell that the President had not expected such a question. It took the President a moment to form his reply.
"Emperor Rimiru was an honorable man that was held in high esteem around the country. I have never met anyone that did not respect him as much I did. The possibility that someone within the Japanese government ordered the assassination of the emperor is nil."
There was so much finality in the President's statement that the reporter that had asked the question slowly sank back down to his seat under the gaze of everyone in the room.
"Thank you for your time," President Winnfield said and disconnected the microphone from his lapels and left the podium.
Winnfield turned down the hallway when his aide-de-camp started down the other end of the hall.
"Good press conference Mr. President, but you took a little long on that last answer than you should have," Jerry Sauer, the President's aide- de-camp, said.
"I was trying to think about the perfect lie to tell them," the President said. He turned to look at Sauer. "I don't believe a word I said in there Jerry. I know the Prime Minister ordered the assassination of Rimiru."
Sauer nodded his head slowly as they entered the elevator that would carry them up to the Oval Office.
"The emperor's letter just arrived Mr. President."
"Looks like he was too late," President Winnfield said sadly and exited the elevator when the doors slid open. He walked down the hallway to the Oval Office and opened the door, stepping into it and walking to his desk. Spotting the letter, Winnfield turned and looked at Sauer.
"If you would like to read it alone," Sauer said and backed out of the office, closing the door behind him.
The President took the letter in his hands and set heavily down onto his leather chair. For the longest time he simply stared at the letter. Finally, he grabbed his letter opener.
Extracting the letter, the President noted that the emperor had gone to the trouble of handwriting the note himself, just as he had done with the letter that he had sent to the emperor.
Sighing, the President began to read the letter.
Dear President Winnfield;
I am writing this to respond to the letter that you sent me a week ago. I must admit that I was almost outraged the first moment I read your letter, what with your accusations that Japan would even contemplate signing a pact with China and invading Siberia. But, with a new government taking power, I was deeply troubled and the matter would not leave my mind, no matter how much I willed it to. So I went to see Prime Minister Shizuko, and I decided that he would be able to put my mind at ease.
Unfortunately, the Prime Minister explained to me that Japan was indeed signing a pct with China, and that plans to invade Siberia were already being formed. I do not know what I said during the rest of my meeting with the Prime Minister, for I must have gone into shock. Sadly, this was not the worst note of my meeting. I mentioned to Prime Minister Shizuko that Russia had nuclear weapons, and that if we were to invade, they might very well unleash a nuclear fury onto our country a hundred times worse than in 1949. Prime Minister Shizuko replied to me, "Russia is not the only country with nuclear capabilities Your Eminence. Japan is now in possession of twenty-nine S-39 nuclear tipped missiles."
I am deeply troubled by that last bit of news Mr. President, and I want you to know that I am now willing to do anything that may save my beloved country from becoming a nuclear wasteland, even reporting this information to you.
I fear for the safety of my country, and that of my loved ones. As you no doubt know the feeling of losing one's betrothed, I will ask you that you help so I do not have to go through the same thing. My wife is the most important thing to me, and I fear for her life.
I must now close this letter with a plea to you, Mr. President. We, the people of Japan, cannot allow ourselves to be lead into a war alongside China, but I fear there is little to nothing that can be done at this point to stop this war from occurring. Japan is long past its days as a military power, and I have a feeling that if Japan is drawn out into a war with Russia, than we will not survive.
I must now ask you, but not as an emperor to a President, but as one man to another, please George, do not allow my beloved country to once again go down the path of war. The Japanese people do not deserve to be thrust down the path of tragedy again.
President Winnfield leaned back in his chair. It was only six months ago that his wife had passed away from breast cancer, and the pain still radiated in him every time he thought of her.
The President was aware of what the media now referred to him as, 'The Ice Man'. Sadly, the President understood that nickname, and he also thought it fit him, for watching his wife slowly die over the course of two years had left him emotionally hollow.
Slowly, the President shook his head and got up from his chair and walked to the thick windows that were installed in the Oval Office. He looked out and saw the busy rush hour D.C. traffic.
"So," the President said aloud. "The Prime Minister assassinated emperor Rimiru while he was standing beside his wife, just because he felt that he would become a nuisance later on, and now he wishes to sign a pact with China and invade Russia."
Gripping his fist tightly, the President spun from the window and marched towards the door.
"If he wants a war, then I'm going to give him one."
===============
Sergeant Major John Taylor waited silently as General Phillip Sheridan Parker IV inspected the office of the commanding officer for Fort Bragg would be in.
Sergeant Major Taylor knew quite a bit about General Parker, including his recent exploits in Afghanistan with the Green Berets. General Parker had an interesting background. Graduated from Norwich University in 1980, then stationed in Bosnia, after that he went across the Atlantic to join in on Task Force Able which was attacking Saddam's troops in the Gulf War, next he became assigned to aviation where he became checked out in the Sikorsky helicopter before being reassigned again back to armor, during which time the Pacific War broke out and he became the leader of Task Force Parker and nearly won the entire war in Taiwan with only thirty-six M1 Abrams tanks and halftracks. After all that he ended up as a lieutenant colonel and was transferred to the Pentagon. He very shortly got the star of a Brigadier General and was assigned the title of Deputy Vice Chief of Staff. A week ago he received orders to transfer to the Special Warfare School and take over as the commanding officer.
Needless to say, the news of General Parker's military history was enough to have the entire school exhilarated to have the man take over.
General Parker straightened up and smiled at Taylor.
"Alright Sergeant Major, everything seems to be in good order. How about we go down to the mess hall so I can meet the troops." It was not a question.
Taylor led Parker out of the building and to a waiting jeep outside. Officers were not permitted to drive by themselves, so Taylor drove the jeep to the enlisted mess. Luckily for the troops, a person from the operations headquarters had called ahead to the mess hall and alerted the men inside about the general's arrival.
The three hundred PFC's were standing outside the mess hall, all standing at attention when General Parker's jeep pulled up.
"If I didn't know better Sergeant Major," Parker said getting out of the jeep, "I would have to think that someone called ahead to warn these soldiers before I could spring a surprise on them."
He turned to regard the troops.
"What the hell are you all doing outside; your food is getting cold!" General Parker shouted at the troops and was greeted with laughter.
A sharp featured second lieutenant came down the line and saluted General Parker.
"Sir, we thought that this would be a good time for the General to meet the PFC troops that are about to go through the Green Beret training program," the lieutenant said.
Parker nodded. He turned and smiled at the men still standing at attention. He started at the head of the line and asked each and every soldier their name. Once he was finished he stood in front of them and regarded them.
He spoke gravely, "While I myself am a graduate of this school, I must admit that I have neglected to wear my Green Beret in almost a decade, which I suppose, is about to change now that I have taken over this command. I will not lie to you, this course you are about to partake in is quite rigorous and difficult, and I'm sure that at least a few of you will drop out before it's over." He paused and then continued his voice now light. "But, I do promise that this will make a man out of you, and it is long thought of that the ladies look upon Special Forces types in certain amorous ways."
The troops chuckled there appreciation.
"Alright," General Parker concluded. "I've taken up enough of your time, go finish your dinners."
The troops saluted and returned into the mess hall.
"There good troops," Parker said to Sergeant Major Taylor as they drove back.
"Yes sir," Taylor replied. "Sir, I do not wish to sound insubordinate but, did you really graduate from this school?"
General Parker chuckled. "Yes, though I'm not to sure it was in the normal manner that most of those boys will be doing it."
"Oh?" Taylor said, it was a request for information.
"I take it you remember Major General Red Hanrahan, the previous commander of this school?"
"Yes sir."
"Alright, well, when I was still a petty major, I met Red Hanrahan when he was over in the Gulf. I served under him for about two months and we got to know each other pretty well. After the war, it came down from the Pentagon that he was going to be taking over the Special Warfare School and he called me the next day and asked if I wanted to come down there with him."
"Now, my aversion for anything that has to do with jumping out of airplanes and eating snakes is well known in the army, and I politely told Hanrahan to go piss on a rope."
"Well, when I was in the Pentagon a few months later, I mistakenly made a derogatory comment about paratroopers and parachutists in general, to the then major general Max Aran, a long-time member of the Airborne family. It was then that I received a call from my commanding officer that said that because I didn't seem to have anything better to do at the time, how about I go down to Fort Bragg and find out everything I could about HALO jumps. Now, this was no coincidence, apparently General Aran called my CO and told him of our encounter and made a few pointed remarks, and asked that I be dealt with accordingly."
"I came down here with the understanding that I would be given a very quick run-around on HALO jumps and their nature, but when Hanrahan found out, he quickly called me and informed me that it had been prepared for me to go up with a team of Beret's that just happened to be jumping that same day. I went along, mostly because I did not want anything to get back to my CO or General Aran. After we were at the prescribed dropping point, I was ordered to stand aside and let the other boys jump. But when I got up, the sonsofbitches grabbed me and carried me out the back of the plane with them."
Sergeant Major Taylor fought very hard to try and not laugh but he could not conceal the small chuckle that escaped his throat.
"I suppose it would seem funny to some people, but when I got into Red's office, I was pissed. Before I could say anything though, Hanrahan handed me a green beret with the silver wings of a parachutist pinned to the brim. I was speechless; it seemed Hanrahan had planned the whole thing. But what made everything worse was the fact that Hanrahan was neither laughing, nor smiling. He sat me down and explained that he had done this for a reason; he wanted me to understand that what Green Berets do is not something that I should be making fun of. I never made another crack about Green Berets after that day."
General Parker turned and looked at Taylor.
"General Hanrahan was a brilliant man and a great leader. I can only hope that I will be half the commander that he was."
===============
Prime Minister Shizuko watched silently as his Chief of Information and the Secretary of Defense argued. The argument had been started when the Chief of Information made the comment that he doubted Japan could survive a full-fledged attack from America or Russia.
"We have China on our side!" The Secretary of Defense stated. "Not to mention our nuclear missiles. Neither country would dare attack us with the threat of nuclear war hanging over their heads."
"Are you a fool or have you forgotten that both countries possess far greater nuclear capabilities than us. While we may be able to hurt them, they could wipe us from the face of the earth."
"Stop it the both of you," Prime Minister Shizuko said softly.
Both men looked at the Prime Minister and seemed to be awaiting an answer.
"While we do have China protecting us, there still exists the threat presented by both Russia and America, should either country decide to strike at us directly, either with nuclear weapons or through man power. The main problem facing us at this moment is our inability to protect ourselves at home. Working in our favor is the fact that both America and Russia have no idea that we have been secretly developing nuclear tipped missiles that are ready for deployment."
The Prime Minister was silent for a minute, obviously thinking things through.
"Russia's nuclear capabilities are not a threat to us, for any missile launched from Moscow will have to pass through China, and China has dedicated SAM (surface-to-air-missiles) sites around their borders. America is another thing though, for they have shown that they obviously are willing to go to the length of using these weapons if it would halt a war."
"You see, we cannot feasibly enter a war with Russia with such a threat just a few hundred miles off our borders," the Chief of Intelligence stated.
The Prime Minister slowly shook his head. He got to his feet and walked to the large window that looked out onto the city of Tokyo.
"We will join China in their attack against Russia, but I do not want us to do that unless we have a suitable man force to put into the war effort."
"But Mr. Prime Minister, we only have an active roster of a few thousand men in the Maritime Self Defense Force," the Secretary of Defense protested.
"Then we will get more men, and by the time China intends to set out in their invasion plans, we will have a suitable army to assist them."
"You speak the impossible, the Chief of Intelligence said. "The people of Japan will not jump at the chance to invade a neighbor, especially when it becomes clear that America is supporting our supposed enemies."
"Then we will force them to!" Prime Minister Shizuko shouted. "I will not be made a fool of before the rest of the world when we try and take Russia and they are able to stop our forces on their border."
"What do you propose we do then?" the Chief of Intelligence asked.
"Conscription," the Prime Minister said simply. He turned from the window and marched to his desk. "If we could order at least a quarter million people to invade Russia, along with the Chinese, than taking Siberia will be as simple as crushing a bug."
"But sir," the Secretary of Defense started. "What if the people are unwilling to fight?"
"They will fight," the Prime Minister said with a surprising calm. "They will fight because I have ordered them to."
===============
Ranma yawned loudly as he descended the stairs and walked into the kitchen. It was dusk out, and he had been up since very early in the morning, waiting for a call from Phillip.
There had been only one telephone call from the time Phil had called the first time the previous day, and it had only been Nabiki, wondering if he and Akane were free to have dinner with her and Kuno the following night. Akane had explained to Nabiki about what was going on and she had quickly offered to come over to the Dojo. With which Akane had laughed and told her that everything was fine and she would call as soon as they heard anything from Phillip.
The news about the assassination of the Emperor of Japan had struck a cord through everyone in the Saotome household. For everyone inside had felt the effects of war, and the thought about a civil war breaking out over these actions made everyone a little uneasy. Mixed with the news about Ryoga's uncertain survival made the assassination even worse. Ranma deeply respected the emperor, and he wondered what kind of person would dare murder such a kind man.
Ranma was sure that Akari was nearly going insane with waiting. She had spent the past four years dealing with her grief, and now it was all unearthed again by just a simple phone call. Akane had followed Akari around the whole day, which meant that Ranma would be left to take care of the children. He didn't even attempt to explain things to the kids, especially because he did not want them to get their hopes up. There was still a chance that Ryoga was not among the seventeen men in the prisoner- of-war camp, and that he had actually perished in the slaughter by the Chinese infantrymen.
Walking into the kitchen, Ranma heard the telephone ring. He took off at sprint and nearly bowled over Akane, who had come running from the living room to answer the phone. Ranma got there first and picked up the receiver.
"Hello, Saotome residence."
*Ranma, its Phil,* the voice on the other end spoke.
"Phil! Have you heard anything?" Ranma asked urgently.
*Sorry, I still haven't gotten anything since yesterday, but that's not the reason I called. I received a transfer today from my duties as the Deputy Vice Chief of Staff and I was stationed at Fort Bragg where I became the Commanding Officer of the Special Warfare Center (School). This means I'm not too sure if I'll be privy to the sensitive information that I could get my hands on while in the Pentagon.*
"Oh," Ranma said deflated.
*But don't lose hope yet Ranma; remember that my father will be sending me everything that comes in regarding the prisoners in China. It will just take me a little longer to get the information to you because I'm sure that they are not going to risk sending me the information through an e-mail, and will instead opt for a courier.*
"Alright, thanks for calling Phil, say hi to Toni for me," Ranma said.
*Goodbye Ranma.*
Ranma placed the receiver back in its cradle.
"Well?" Akane said expectantly.
"He hasn't heard anything since yesterday," Ranma said sadly.
"Than why did he call?" Akane asked, confused.
"He received change-of-station orders early today and he's now in Fort Bragg as the Commanding Officer for the Special Warfare Center."
"What's that?"
"It's where they train those Green Beret guys, like what Seiji was."
"Oh," Akane said. "What does that mean?"
"It means that it's going to take him even longer to get us any information regarding Ryoga and those POW's."
Akane nodded her head and started to turn around. Before she could though, Ranma grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. Akane responded in kind.
"He's got to be okay, he's just got to," Ranma said, his voice choking with emotion.
Akane didn't respond but simply raised her head and kissed Ranma.
===============
As the early morning sunlight filled the bedroom, Ranma Saotome opened his eyes. He had not slept very well.
Slowly, carefully, making his way out of bed so as to not wake up Akane, Ranma removed the bed covers and slipped into a silk robe that he had bought when he had visited Phillip in Washington the other year. His initials were braided above the front chest pocket and Akane told him it looked like something a rich mobster would have worn in the thirties.
Taking great pains to move down the hallway without making any noise, Ranma made his way down the hallway and down the stairs. It was times like these when he wished that he had bought a house and moved the Dojo there instead of living in a house with creaky floors and a structure that needed regular maintenance. The money involved there was no big deal for Ranma, he had a net worth of almost seventy million dollars, but it was annoying to have repair men constantly floating around the house.
His appeal to Akane had been shot down. Akane simply told him that the Tendo home had been in the same area for almost a century, and they were not going to destroy all that just because Ranma did not like the creaky floors.
He chuckled softly to himself when he had talked to Ishii about his problems.
"Why Ranma, I'm surprised at you, you should know that the area where three generations of men and women kicked each other's asses all day long would be a real staple point for the success of a certain Dojo."
Ranma decided to go and get the morning newspaper and walked out of the front door just in time to see the mail man coming up the front walk.
"Good morning Mr. Saotome," the postman greeted. "Up a little early today aren't we?"
"Funny," Ranma said. "I was about to ask you the same thing."
The postman shrugged. "All I know is that I received a call from the Post Office General and he told me to go to the Post Office and pick up some letters that the Prime Minister wished to be delivered as soon as possible."
"Do you know what it's about?" Ranma asked as he took the offered envelope from the postman.
"Not a clue," the postman said. "Have a good day Mr. Saotome!"
"You too," Ranma said and walked back into the house, grabbing the newspaper from the mailbox. He walked into the kitchen and set the newspaper down on a table. He looked at the envelope addressed to him.
"'Office of the Prime Minister'?" Ranma said confused. He tore open the envelope and began reading. His hands slowly began to shake and he dropped the letter.
"Oh shit."
===============
Author's Notes: Well, I'm sure everybody knows exactly what the letter from the Prime Minister said. But for those that don't I'm not going to reveal it until the next chapter. Expect the next chapter to be very suspenseful.
Well, only a little bit longer till Christmas, and Chanukah is about halfway through, so I hope everyone is into the holiday spirit. I know I am, even if I am missing a husband. I received an e-mail from Mr. Clark the other day and it nicely outlined the fact that it may be December, but where he is, the last thing you would be thinking about is the holidays.
I hope you all have liked this story, and I want to thank everyone for their reviews and opinions. Your words are not ignored, they are taken to heart, and even if they are not always of the best grammar, I always take the time to read each one.
The President of the United States took the podium in the White House press room and slowly gripped the edges of the podium. This did not escape the notice of the row of reporters, who had known that the President only did this when he was extremely angry about something. President Winnfield cleared his throat and regarded the reporters.
"As I'm sure you have all heard," the President began, "the emperor of Japan was assassinated early this morning while walking through the Imperial palace."
"I have agreed with my press officer to appear here today to answer your questions, though I would like to warn you that I have a very busy day ahead of me and I would appreciate it if you would be brief in your questions."
There was absolute silence for thirty seconds before the reporter from the Boston Globe stood up.
"Mr. President, have you had any contact with the Prime Minister of Japan?"
"Yes," President Winnfield nodded. "I called him half an hour before I arrived here and expressed my deepest sympathies and offered all American resources to catch the people that would so blatantly assassinate a peaceful man. He thanked me but did not ask for any American help at this time."
The next question was from the Washington Post.
"Do we have any idea who might have actually committed the assassination?"
"No, at the moment we have had absolutely no leads as of this moment but I'm sure that the Japanese will be able to narrow it down quite quickly."
The same reporter asked the next question.
"What of the reports that it was a member in the Japanese government that issued the order to have emperor Rimiru murdered?"
From the shock that registered on President Winnfield's face, the reporters could tell that the President had not expected such a question. It took the President a moment to form his reply.
"Emperor Rimiru was an honorable man that was held in high esteem around the country. I have never met anyone that did not respect him as much I did. The possibility that someone within the Japanese government ordered the assassination of the emperor is nil."
There was so much finality in the President's statement that the reporter that had asked the question slowly sank back down to his seat under the gaze of everyone in the room.
"Thank you for your time," President Winnfield said and disconnected the microphone from his lapels and left the podium.
Winnfield turned down the hallway when his aide-de-camp started down the other end of the hall.
"Good press conference Mr. President, but you took a little long on that last answer than you should have," Jerry Sauer, the President's aide- de-camp, said.
"I was trying to think about the perfect lie to tell them," the President said. He turned to look at Sauer. "I don't believe a word I said in there Jerry. I know the Prime Minister ordered the assassination of Rimiru."
Sauer nodded his head slowly as they entered the elevator that would carry them up to the Oval Office.
"The emperor's letter just arrived Mr. President."
"Looks like he was too late," President Winnfield said sadly and exited the elevator when the doors slid open. He walked down the hallway to the Oval Office and opened the door, stepping into it and walking to his desk. Spotting the letter, Winnfield turned and looked at Sauer.
"If you would like to read it alone," Sauer said and backed out of the office, closing the door behind him.
The President took the letter in his hands and set heavily down onto his leather chair. For the longest time he simply stared at the letter. Finally, he grabbed his letter opener.
Extracting the letter, the President noted that the emperor had gone to the trouble of handwriting the note himself, just as he had done with the letter that he had sent to the emperor.
Sighing, the President began to read the letter.
Dear President Winnfield;
I am writing this to respond to the letter that you sent me a week ago. I must admit that I was almost outraged the first moment I read your letter, what with your accusations that Japan would even contemplate signing a pact with China and invading Siberia. But, with a new government taking power, I was deeply troubled and the matter would not leave my mind, no matter how much I willed it to. So I went to see Prime Minister Shizuko, and I decided that he would be able to put my mind at ease.
Unfortunately, the Prime Minister explained to me that Japan was indeed signing a pct with China, and that plans to invade Siberia were already being formed. I do not know what I said during the rest of my meeting with the Prime Minister, for I must have gone into shock. Sadly, this was not the worst note of my meeting. I mentioned to Prime Minister Shizuko that Russia had nuclear weapons, and that if we were to invade, they might very well unleash a nuclear fury onto our country a hundred times worse than in 1949. Prime Minister Shizuko replied to me, "Russia is not the only country with nuclear capabilities Your Eminence. Japan is now in possession of twenty-nine S-39 nuclear tipped missiles."
I am deeply troubled by that last bit of news Mr. President, and I want you to know that I am now willing to do anything that may save my beloved country from becoming a nuclear wasteland, even reporting this information to you.
I fear for the safety of my country, and that of my loved ones. As you no doubt know the feeling of losing one's betrothed, I will ask you that you help so I do not have to go through the same thing. My wife is the most important thing to me, and I fear for her life.
I must now close this letter with a plea to you, Mr. President. We, the people of Japan, cannot allow ourselves to be lead into a war alongside China, but I fear there is little to nothing that can be done at this point to stop this war from occurring. Japan is long past its days as a military power, and I have a feeling that if Japan is drawn out into a war with Russia, than we will not survive.
I must now ask you, but not as an emperor to a President, but as one man to another, please George, do not allow my beloved country to once again go down the path of war. The Japanese people do not deserve to be thrust down the path of tragedy again.
President Winnfield leaned back in his chair. It was only six months ago that his wife had passed away from breast cancer, and the pain still radiated in him every time he thought of her.
The President was aware of what the media now referred to him as, 'The Ice Man'. Sadly, the President understood that nickname, and he also thought it fit him, for watching his wife slowly die over the course of two years had left him emotionally hollow.
Slowly, the President shook his head and got up from his chair and walked to the thick windows that were installed in the Oval Office. He looked out and saw the busy rush hour D.C. traffic.
"So," the President said aloud. "The Prime Minister assassinated emperor Rimiru while he was standing beside his wife, just because he felt that he would become a nuisance later on, and now he wishes to sign a pact with China and invade Russia."
Gripping his fist tightly, the President spun from the window and marched towards the door.
"If he wants a war, then I'm going to give him one."
===============
Sergeant Major John Taylor waited silently as General Phillip Sheridan Parker IV inspected the office of the commanding officer for Fort Bragg would be in.
Sergeant Major Taylor knew quite a bit about General Parker, including his recent exploits in Afghanistan with the Green Berets. General Parker had an interesting background. Graduated from Norwich University in 1980, then stationed in Bosnia, after that he went across the Atlantic to join in on Task Force Able which was attacking Saddam's troops in the Gulf War, next he became assigned to aviation where he became checked out in the Sikorsky helicopter before being reassigned again back to armor, during which time the Pacific War broke out and he became the leader of Task Force Parker and nearly won the entire war in Taiwan with only thirty-six M1 Abrams tanks and halftracks. After all that he ended up as a lieutenant colonel and was transferred to the Pentagon. He very shortly got the star of a Brigadier General and was assigned the title of Deputy Vice Chief of Staff. A week ago he received orders to transfer to the Special Warfare School and take over as the commanding officer.
Needless to say, the news of General Parker's military history was enough to have the entire school exhilarated to have the man take over.
General Parker straightened up and smiled at Taylor.
"Alright Sergeant Major, everything seems to be in good order. How about we go down to the mess hall so I can meet the troops." It was not a question.
Taylor led Parker out of the building and to a waiting jeep outside. Officers were not permitted to drive by themselves, so Taylor drove the jeep to the enlisted mess. Luckily for the troops, a person from the operations headquarters had called ahead to the mess hall and alerted the men inside about the general's arrival.
The three hundred PFC's were standing outside the mess hall, all standing at attention when General Parker's jeep pulled up.
"If I didn't know better Sergeant Major," Parker said getting out of the jeep, "I would have to think that someone called ahead to warn these soldiers before I could spring a surprise on them."
He turned to regard the troops.
"What the hell are you all doing outside; your food is getting cold!" General Parker shouted at the troops and was greeted with laughter.
A sharp featured second lieutenant came down the line and saluted General Parker.
"Sir, we thought that this would be a good time for the General to meet the PFC troops that are about to go through the Green Beret training program," the lieutenant said.
Parker nodded. He turned and smiled at the men still standing at attention. He started at the head of the line and asked each and every soldier their name. Once he was finished he stood in front of them and regarded them.
He spoke gravely, "While I myself am a graduate of this school, I must admit that I have neglected to wear my Green Beret in almost a decade, which I suppose, is about to change now that I have taken over this command. I will not lie to you, this course you are about to partake in is quite rigorous and difficult, and I'm sure that at least a few of you will drop out before it's over." He paused and then continued his voice now light. "But, I do promise that this will make a man out of you, and it is long thought of that the ladies look upon Special Forces types in certain amorous ways."
The troops chuckled there appreciation.
"Alright," General Parker concluded. "I've taken up enough of your time, go finish your dinners."
The troops saluted and returned into the mess hall.
"There good troops," Parker said to Sergeant Major Taylor as they drove back.
"Yes sir," Taylor replied. "Sir, I do not wish to sound insubordinate but, did you really graduate from this school?"
General Parker chuckled. "Yes, though I'm not to sure it was in the normal manner that most of those boys will be doing it."
"Oh?" Taylor said, it was a request for information.
"I take it you remember Major General Red Hanrahan, the previous commander of this school?"
"Yes sir."
"Alright, well, when I was still a petty major, I met Red Hanrahan when he was over in the Gulf. I served under him for about two months and we got to know each other pretty well. After the war, it came down from the Pentagon that he was going to be taking over the Special Warfare School and he called me the next day and asked if I wanted to come down there with him."
"Now, my aversion for anything that has to do with jumping out of airplanes and eating snakes is well known in the army, and I politely told Hanrahan to go piss on a rope."
"Well, when I was in the Pentagon a few months later, I mistakenly made a derogatory comment about paratroopers and parachutists in general, to the then major general Max Aran, a long-time member of the Airborne family. It was then that I received a call from my commanding officer that said that because I didn't seem to have anything better to do at the time, how about I go down to Fort Bragg and find out everything I could about HALO jumps. Now, this was no coincidence, apparently General Aran called my CO and told him of our encounter and made a few pointed remarks, and asked that I be dealt with accordingly."
"I came down here with the understanding that I would be given a very quick run-around on HALO jumps and their nature, but when Hanrahan found out, he quickly called me and informed me that it had been prepared for me to go up with a team of Beret's that just happened to be jumping that same day. I went along, mostly because I did not want anything to get back to my CO or General Aran. After we were at the prescribed dropping point, I was ordered to stand aside and let the other boys jump. But when I got up, the sonsofbitches grabbed me and carried me out the back of the plane with them."
Sergeant Major Taylor fought very hard to try and not laugh but he could not conceal the small chuckle that escaped his throat.
"I suppose it would seem funny to some people, but when I got into Red's office, I was pissed. Before I could say anything though, Hanrahan handed me a green beret with the silver wings of a parachutist pinned to the brim. I was speechless; it seemed Hanrahan had planned the whole thing. But what made everything worse was the fact that Hanrahan was neither laughing, nor smiling. He sat me down and explained that he had done this for a reason; he wanted me to understand that what Green Berets do is not something that I should be making fun of. I never made another crack about Green Berets after that day."
General Parker turned and looked at Taylor.
"General Hanrahan was a brilliant man and a great leader. I can only hope that I will be half the commander that he was."
===============
Prime Minister Shizuko watched silently as his Chief of Information and the Secretary of Defense argued. The argument had been started when the Chief of Information made the comment that he doubted Japan could survive a full-fledged attack from America or Russia.
"We have China on our side!" The Secretary of Defense stated. "Not to mention our nuclear missiles. Neither country would dare attack us with the threat of nuclear war hanging over their heads."
"Are you a fool or have you forgotten that both countries possess far greater nuclear capabilities than us. While we may be able to hurt them, they could wipe us from the face of the earth."
"Stop it the both of you," Prime Minister Shizuko said softly.
Both men looked at the Prime Minister and seemed to be awaiting an answer.
"While we do have China protecting us, there still exists the threat presented by both Russia and America, should either country decide to strike at us directly, either with nuclear weapons or through man power. The main problem facing us at this moment is our inability to protect ourselves at home. Working in our favor is the fact that both America and Russia have no idea that we have been secretly developing nuclear tipped missiles that are ready for deployment."
The Prime Minister was silent for a minute, obviously thinking things through.
"Russia's nuclear capabilities are not a threat to us, for any missile launched from Moscow will have to pass through China, and China has dedicated SAM (surface-to-air-missiles) sites around their borders. America is another thing though, for they have shown that they obviously are willing to go to the length of using these weapons if it would halt a war."
"You see, we cannot feasibly enter a war with Russia with such a threat just a few hundred miles off our borders," the Chief of Intelligence stated.
The Prime Minister slowly shook his head. He got to his feet and walked to the large window that looked out onto the city of Tokyo.
"We will join China in their attack against Russia, but I do not want us to do that unless we have a suitable man force to put into the war effort."
"But Mr. Prime Minister, we only have an active roster of a few thousand men in the Maritime Self Defense Force," the Secretary of Defense protested.
"Then we will get more men, and by the time China intends to set out in their invasion plans, we will have a suitable army to assist them."
"You speak the impossible, the Chief of Intelligence said. "The people of Japan will not jump at the chance to invade a neighbor, especially when it becomes clear that America is supporting our supposed enemies."
"Then we will force them to!" Prime Minister Shizuko shouted. "I will not be made a fool of before the rest of the world when we try and take Russia and they are able to stop our forces on their border."
"What do you propose we do then?" the Chief of Intelligence asked.
"Conscription," the Prime Minister said simply. He turned from the window and marched to his desk. "If we could order at least a quarter million people to invade Russia, along with the Chinese, than taking Siberia will be as simple as crushing a bug."
"But sir," the Secretary of Defense started. "What if the people are unwilling to fight?"
"They will fight," the Prime Minister said with a surprising calm. "They will fight because I have ordered them to."
===============
Ranma yawned loudly as he descended the stairs and walked into the kitchen. It was dusk out, and he had been up since very early in the morning, waiting for a call from Phillip.
There had been only one telephone call from the time Phil had called the first time the previous day, and it had only been Nabiki, wondering if he and Akane were free to have dinner with her and Kuno the following night. Akane had explained to Nabiki about what was going on and she had quickly offered to come over to the Dojo. With which Akane had laughed and told her that everything was fine and she would call as soon as they heard anything from Phillip.
The news about the assassination of the Emperor of Japan had struck a cord through everyone in the Saotome household. For everyone inside had felt the effects of war, and the thought about a civil war breaking out over these actions made everyone a little uneasy. Mixed with the news about Ryoga's uncertain survival made the assassination even worse. Ranma deeply respected the emperor, and he wondered what kind of person would dare murder such a kind man.
Ranma was sure that Akari was nearly going insane with waiting. She had spent the past four years dealing with her grief, and now it was all unearthed again by just a simple phone call. Akane had followed Akari around the whole day, which meant that Ranma would be left to take care of the children. He didn't even attempt to explain things to the kids, especially because he did not want them to get their hopes up. There was still a chance that Ryoga was not among the seventeen men in the prisoner- of-war camp, and that he had actually perished in the slaughter by the Chinese infantrymen.
Walking into the kitchen, Ranma heard the telephone ring. He took off at sprint and nearly bowled over Akane, who had come running from the living room to answer the phone. Ranma got there first and picked up the receiver.
"Hello, Saotome residence."
*Ranma, its Phil,* the voice on the other end spoke.
"Phil! Have you heard anything?" Ranma asked urgently.
*Sorry, I still haven't gotten anything since yesterday, but that's not the reason I called. I received a transfer today from my duties as the Deputy Vice Chief of Staff and I was stationed at Fort Bragg where I became the Commanding Officer of the Special Warfare Center (School). This means I'm not too sure if I'll be privy to the sensitive information that I could get my hands on while in the Pentagon.*
"Oh," Ranma said deflated.
*But don't lose hope yet Ranma; remember that my father will be sending me everything that comes in regarding the prisoners in China. It will just take me a little longer to get the information to you because I'm sure that they are not going to risk sending me the information through an e-mail, and will instead opt for a courier.*
"Alright, thanks for calling Phil, say hi to Toni for me," Ranma said.
*Goodbye Ranma.*
Ranma placed the receiver back in its cradle.
"Well?" Akane said expectantly.
"He hasn't heard anything since yesterday," Ranma said sadly.
"Than why did he call?" Akane asked, confused.
"He received change-of-station orders early today and he's now in Fort Bragg as the Commanding Officer for the Special Warfare Center."
"What's that?"
"It's where they train those Green Beret guys, like what Seiji was."
"Oh," Akane said. "What does that mean?"
"It means that it's going to take him even longer to get us any information regarding Ryoga and those POW's."
Akane nodded her head and started to turn around. Before she could though, Ranma grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. Akane responded in kind.
"He's got to be okay, he's just got to," Ranma said, his voice choking with emotion.
Akane didn't respond but simply raised her head and kissed Ranma.
===============
As the early morning sunlight filled the bedroom, Ranma Saotome opened his eyes. He had not slept very well.
Slowly, carefully, making his way out of bed so as to not wake up Akane, Ranma removed the bed covers and slipped into a silk robe that he had bought when he had visited Phillip in Washington the other year. His initials were braided above the front chest pocket and Akane told him it looked like something a rich mobster would have worn in the thirties.
Taking great pains to move down the hallway without making any noise, Ranma made his way down the hallway and down the stairs. It was times like these when he wished that he had bought a house and moved the Dojo there instead of living in a house with creaky floors and a structure that needed regular maintenance. The money involved there was no big deal for Ranma, he had a net worth of almost seventy million dollars, but it was annoying to have repair men constantly floating around the house.
His appeal to Akane had been shot down. Akane simply told him that the Tendo home had been in the same area for almost a century, and they were not going to destroy all that just because Ranma did not like the creaky floors.
He chuckled softly to himself when he had talked to Ishii about his problems.
"Why Ranma, I'm surprised at you, you should know that the area where three generations of men and women kicked each other's asses all day long would be a real staple point for the success of a certain Dojo."
Ranma decided to go and get the morning newspaper and walked out of the front door just in time to see the mail man coming up the front walk.
"Good morning Mr. Saotome," the postman greeted. "Up a little early today aren't we?"
"Funny," Ranma said. "I was about to ask you the same thing."
The postman shrugged. "All I know is that I received a call from the Post Office General and he told me to go to the Post Office and pick up some letters that the Prime Minister wished to be delivered as soon as possible."
"Do you know what it's about?" Ranma asked as he took the offered envelope from the postman.
"Not a clue," the postman said. "Have a good day Mr. Saotome!"
"You too," Ranma said and walked back into the house, grabbing the newspaper from the mailbox. He walked into the kitchen and set the newspaper down on a table. He looked at the envelope addressed to him.
"'Office of the Prime Minister'?" Ranma said confused. He tore open the envelope and began reading. His hands slowly began to shake and he dropped the letter.
"Oh shit."
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Author's Notes: Well, I'm sure everybody knows exactly what the letter from the Prime Minister said. But for those that don't I'm not going to reveal it until the next chapter. Expect the next chapter to be very suspenseful.
Well, only a little bit longer till Christmas, and Chanukah is about halfway through, so I hope everyone is into the holiday spirit. I know I am, even if I am missing a husband. I received an e-mail from Mr. Clark the other day and it nicely outlined the fact that it may be December, but where he is, the last thing you would be thinking about is the holidays.
I hope you all have liked this story, and I want to thank everyone for their reviews and opinions. Your words are not ignored, they are taken to heart, and even if they are not always of the best grammar, I always take the time to read each one.